Obesity and metabolic syndrome are major health problems which often present a confounding therapeutic challenge. The composition of diet consumed has been implicated in these metabolic phenotypes, and rats have been used extensively to study them. However, different dietary models in both male and female rats have been stated in literature. The aim of this study was to explore different models and determine the most efficient model(s) of achieving diet-induced metabolic syndrome in Wistar rats. Wistar rats (n=48) of both sexes, weighing between 100-120 g, were used in this study. Rats were divided into gender pairs consisting of male and female pairs in four dietary groups: standard rats’ chow, standard rats’ chow + 60% sucrose-in-water solution, high-fat (60% margarine) and high-fat (60% pure butter) (n=6 for each gender), and fed for nine (9) weeks. Blood samples were collected via the retro-orbital sinus and then animals were euthanized with sodium pentobarbital. Body weight was measured using an electronic weighing scale, and body-mass Index (BMI) calculated from this. Fasting blood glucose was assessed, using blood obtained from a tail puncture, by the use of a glucometer, based on the glucose oxidase method of determination, while insulin concentration was determined using ELISA kits following manufacturer’s protocols and read spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 450 nm using a microplate reader. HDL- and total cholesterol were both determined using Randox® (UK) Lipid Profile Kit, as described by Roeschlau et al., 1974 and Young, 1995, respectively. Values are expressed as means ± S.E.M., compared by one-way ANOVA. Body weight (185.5±4.3 vs 168.3±8.7g in control, p<0.05) and BMI (0.46±0.02 vs 0.46±0.02, p<0.05) were significantly raised in male rats fed with HFD (butter), while HDL cholesterol (28±1.2 vs 33±0.8mg/dl, p<0.05). Male rats fed on HFD (butter) also showed increases in other components of metabolic syndrome (Glucose=161.2±0.8 vs 99.8±0.4 mg/dl, Insulin=800±69 vs 512±78 ρmol/l, total cholesterol=96±3.2 vs 84±4.9mg/dl, p<0.05). The results of this study suggest that male rats fed on a high fat diet, with the fatty component gotten from pure butter, are an efficient means of creating a model for the study of diet-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome in Wistar rats.