*3.3. Metabolic Rate Measurement*

After feeding test diets for 2 weeks, mice were placed in the respiratory chamber individually (AccuScan Instruments, Inc., Columbus, OH, USA) with free access to their respective diet food and water. After a 24-h acclimation, mice were continuously monitored in the metabolic chambers for 

6 days. Gas samples were collected every minute per mouse, and the data were averaged for each hour. Output parameters from the average of 6 days included the O2 consumption (VO2), CO2 production (VCO2) and respiratory quotients (RQ = VO2/VCO2). 
