High sucrose diet promotes longevity in obese hypertensive SHROB rats

The SHROB rat is a model of metabolic syndrome showing severe obesity, hypertension and end stage renal disease. SHROB live a little more than half as long as their SHR siblings (Figure). Median life expectancy (MLE) does not differ by sex in either SHROB or SHR. The shortened lifespan of SHROB is primarily a result of renal failure. We hypothesized that a high sucrose diet would accelerate renal disease and reduce longevity. We added sucrose to regular chow in a 1:1 ratio, replacing vitamins and minerals (AIN93). Median life expectancy was extended by nearly one-hundred days by the high sucrose diet, a highly significant effect (P < 0.005, Chi-square). The beneficial effect of replacing dietary protein with sucrose greatly exceeded any possible adverse effect of simple carbohydrate excess.