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High fat diets (HFD) usually lead to hyperphagia and body weight gain. However, macronutrient proportions in the diet can modulate energy intake and body fat deposition. The aim of the study was to investigate muscle and liver oxidative metabolism in response to an isocaloric intake of a HFD and to elucidate the possible gender-dependent response. Eight week-old male and female rats were fed either standard chow or HFD for 14 weeks. Energy intake, body weight and whole animal oxygen consumption were determined periodically. Mitochondrial oxygen consumption, hydrogen peroxide production, TBARS levels, Cytochrome-c-oxidase, Citrate synthase and antioxidant enzyme activities were measured in muscle and liver. UCP1 and UCP3 protein levels were analyzed in brown adipose tissue and muscle, respectively. Male rats showed higher energy efficiency, enhanced adiposity, greater hydrogen peroxide production and less effective antioxidant machinery compared to females. HFD feeding increased energy expenditure but did not modify either tissue oxidative metabolism or oxidative damage in either gender. HFD animals over-expressed uncoupling proteins in order to maintain energy balance (brown adipose tissue UCP1) and to avoid oxidative stress (skeletal muscle UCP3), thus counteracting the alterations induced by the modification of the proportion of macronutrients in the diet. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]