2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin increases reliance on fats as a fuel source independently of diet: Evidence that diminished carbohydrate supply contributes to dioxin lethality

The environmental toxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes a wasting syndrome marked by hypophagia, loss of body fat, changes in intermediary metabolism and death. Use of conventional laboratory animals has not resolved whether or not TCDD affects intermediary metabolism independently of hypophagia. We used the chick embryo, which does not require an exogenous food supply for energ…