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Inactivity induces increases in abdominal fat.

Matthew J Laye1, John P Thyfault, Craig S Stump

  • 1Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, 1600 East Rollins, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.

Journal of Applied Physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)
|November 24, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Inactivity after running increases fat mass, even without overeating. Cessation of exercise leads to fat cell proliferation (hyperplasia), not just enlargement (hypertrophy), contributing to increased abdominal fat.

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Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Obesity Research
  • Metabolic Science

Background:

  • Voluntary running in rats previously led to increased fat pad weights after inactivity.
  • The role of inactivity versus excessive caloric intake in fat accumulation remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if inactivity, independent of caloric intake, increases fat pad mass.
  • To determine the cellular mechanisms (hypertrophy vs. hyperplasia) behind fat mass changes after exercise cessation.

Main Methods:

  • Rats ran voluntarily for 42-43 days, then experienced inactivity for 5, 53, or 173 hours.
  • Inactivity groups were either pair-fed (PF) to controls or ate ad libitum (AL).
  • Epididymal, retroperitoneal, and perirenal fat masses were measured; adipocyte size and number were analyzed.

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Main Results:

  • Significant increases in epididymal and retroperitoneal fat mass occurred at 173 hours of inactivity (WL173) in both PF and AL groups compared to the 5-hour inactivity group (WL5).
  • Ad libitum fed rats (WL173-AL) showed significantly increased epididymal, perirenal, and retroperitoneal fat mass compared to WL5.
  • Increased epididymal fat mass in WL173-AL was due to hyperplasia (increased cell number), not hypertrophy (increased cell size).

Conclusions:

  • Inactivity following exercise increases abdominal fat mass, irrespective of whether caloric intake is controlled or ad libitum.
  • Cessation of voluntary running promotes fat accumulation through adipocyte hyperplasia when food intake is not restricted.