The effect of ileal transposition on food intake, energy expenditure and body weight

An observed decrease in food intake after ilea] transposition was dependent upon the length of the transposed ileal segment. Furthermore, the early inhibition of daily food intake immediately after the ileal transposition surgery depends upon neural feedback from the transposed ileal segment. Ileal transposition also results in a length-dependent increase in energy expenditure. Extrinsic ileal nerves contribute to this increase in energy expenditure because the increase was less when the nerves were absent. Finally, short-term food intake was not affected by lower gut signals with or without extrinsic nerves intact. Rats with ileal transplants had a smaller decrease in food intake, a smaller increase in energy expenditure and larger change in body weight at sacrifice than rats with ileal transposition. They also showed a larger increase in the wet weights of stomach, pancreas and jejunoileum below the transposed segment suggesting a larger effect on tissue growth.