(A) Plasma lipid profile: fasting plasma samples were obtained after 10 weeks of high fat feeding and analyzed for triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (Total C), HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), non HDL cholesterol (nonHDL-C), and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). (B) Insulin tolerance test (ITT) and pyruvate tolerance test (PTT) performed after 11 weeks of high fat feeding. For ITT, food was removed in the morning for four hours and then animals were injected with an insulin bolus (0.6 U/kg diluted in sterile saline containing 0.1% albumin, i.p.). For PTT, food was removed overnight for 16 hours and then animals were injected sodium pyruvate (1.5 g/kg, i.p. diluted in sterile saline). Blood glucose was measured using a glucometer and was plotted against time before and after the injections (n = 10, mean ± SEM). (C) Liver mRNA expression of insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pepck) was analyzed by real-time PCR (mean±SEM, n = 10).