Body weight and food intake evolution.

<p><b>A)</b> Temporal evolution of body weights (in grams) for each group (mean sd): AL (black), H0 (red), H1(blue) and H4 (green). A small offset has been added to the time points to ease the reading. <b>B)</b> Evolution of consumed food (straight lines, mean sd) weekly by each rat (in each group: AL (black), H0 (red), H1(blue) and H4 (green)) compared to the available food (dashed lines). Group H0 consumed all its available food for the duration of the experiment while groups H1 and H4 had leftovers.</p

Model variables.

<p>Model variables.</p

Simulated evolution of body weight (red line) compared to experimental data (mean standard deviation in black).

<p>In each group, the food input matches the experimental patterns and the first 5 days of the simulation were conducted with <i>Ad libitum</i> diet to be closer to the experiment. Parameter values were estimated with data from groups AL and H1 and predictions were made with these parameter values on groups H0 and H4. Top left: AL; top right: H0; bottom left: H1; bottom right: H4.</p

Predicted body weight for a 16 week experiment with different combinations of food availability patterns.

<p>In blue H1 followed by H0 (line) or H1 (squares), in green H4 followed by H0 (line) or H4 (squares) and in red twice H0. In cases with H0 in the last 8 weeks (lines), the body weight tends to the same value, whatever the past variations.</p

Predicted rate of energy expenditure variations in the cases H0 (red), H1(blue) and H4 (green), starting from the same initial condition.

<p> value is stabilizing to a different value after a few days if the food pattern is followed for a long enough time (8 days). Changes occur when the food availability is modified.</p

Akaike Information Criteria.

<p>Akaike Information Criteria.</p

Daily available food per rat in each group.

<p>Changes of quantities occur each week, except for group AL which was not submitted to caloric restriction. At the end of the 8-weeks experiment, each rat in groups H0, H1 and H4 will have received 1120 g of food. Consumed food is not always equal to this amount but is recorded every day.</p

Model parameters.

<p>Model parameters.</p

Plasma hormones and glucose assays.

<p>Plasma hormones and glucose assays.</p

Evolution of cumulated food intake predicted by the model (red curve) compared to experimental data (black crosses: mean sd).

<p>Available food in the simulation corresponds to experimental patterns in each group, with <i>Ad libitum</i> diet in each group at the beginning. Results from groups AL and H1 correspond to the parameter estimation process while results for groups H0 and H4 correspond to predictions. Top left: AL; top right: H0; bottom left: H1; bottom right: H4.</p