The liver and aorta from a representative rat in each group were fixed in 10% buffered formalin, embedded in paraffin, and cut into 5-μm sections. Certain sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) for histological examination of fat droplets. Samples of aorta were stained with Oil red O, as previously described (16 (link)). Images were acquired using an SZX10 microscope (Olympus; Tokyo, Japan).