Diet-induced obesity model

Diet-induced obesity (DIO) model, is a model created to study obesity and its co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis. In this model, an animal (mouse, rat, dog or non-human primate) is fed a high fat diet or high fat/high sugar diet for a number of weeks. As a result, it becomes obese, and usually hyperglycemic, and develops impaired glucose tolerance. These mice are then used to study the genetic and physiological mechanisms of obesity and type 2 diabetes and to test drug candidates that are expected to affect these conditions in humans.