During the 48-h experiment and the 17-day experiment, rats were analyzed for EE, respiratory quotient (RQ), and LA using a calorimetric system (LabMaster; TSE Systems, Bad Homburg, Germany). This system is an open-circuit instrument that determines O2 consumption, CO2 production, and RQ (Vco2/Vo2) (12,28). Rats were placed for adaptation for 1 week before starting the measurements. For the measurement of body composition, we used the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (Whole Body Composition Analyzer; EchoMRI, Houston, TX) (8,12,28).
