Figure 1. Isocaloric and isolipidic diets, pair-fed model and their impact on body weight.

Mice were pair-fed omega- (ω-6) and omega-3 (ω-3) PUFA diets for 10 or 20 weeks. Experimental design for a pair-fed model (A). Mice were acclimatized to liquid diets by feeding ad libitum amounts for the first five days. Thereafter, the ω-6 diet group mice were pair-fed based on the diet consumed by the ω-3 mice on a cage basis on the preceding day. The average amount of diet consumed/day (B). Differences in percent changes in body weights between the pair-fed groups [n= 20] compared by a repeated measure test (C). Body weights before the start of the liquid diet [day 0], at the start of pair-feeding [day 5], on day 20, and day 40, of pair feeding and before autopsy on [day 69] (n=20) (D). Comparison of abdominal adipose tissues between the groups (E and F) (n=3), based on abdominal fat weight (E), as well as, fat weight relative to body weight (%) at autopsy (F). Photographs of representative livers document differences in color and size from mice fed ω-3 (G) or ω-6 (H) diets. Comparison of liver weight (I) and liver weight relative to body weight (J) (n=3). * = p ≤ 0.05