Modulation of liver glucose output by free or restricted feeding in the adult rat is independent of litter size

Background Caloric restriction since birth changes glucose metabolism by the liver in overnight-fasted rats to a fed-like pattern, in which glucose output is large but gluconeogenesis is negligible. It was investigated whether these changes could be a residual effect of the nutritional condition during lactation and what could be the mechanism of such change. Methods Newborn Wistar rat pups were arranged in litters of 6 or 12 (G6 and G12). After...