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Body Composition and Metabolic Caging Analysis in High Fat Fed Mice
Published on: May 24, 2018
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Adaptation of fuel selection to acute decrease in voluntary energy expenditure is governed by dietary macronutrient
Nikhil S Bhandarkar1, Rotem Lahav1, Nitzan Maixner1
1Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Physiological Reports
|September 23, 2021
Summary
Dietary fat content influences how mice utilize fuel when physical activity decreases. A high-fat diet shifts fuel use away from carbohydrates, while a low-fat diet shifts it away from fats, impacting energy balance.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic adaptation
- Nutritional science
- Energy expenditure
Background:
- Exercise-induced thermogenesis varies significantly among individuals.
- COVID-19 lockdowns impacted physical activity globally.
- Dietary macronutrient composition may influence metabolic responses to reduced activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if dietary macronutrient composition affects metabolic adaptation and fuel selection in response to decreased voluntary physical activity.
- To understand how short-term high-fat diet (HFD) versus low-fat diet (LFD) influences fuel utilization after removing a running wheel.
Main Methods:
- Mice were fed either HFD or LFD for a short term.
- Whole-body fuel utilization was assessed using metabolic cages.
- Measurements were taken before and after the removal of a voluntary running wheel.
Main Results:
- Short-term HFD increased energy intake, fat oxidation, and decreased carbohydrate oxidation.
- Running wheel removal significantly decreased activity and energy expenditure, leading to weight gain, regardless of diet.
- In LFD mice, reduced activity decreased fat oxidation; in HFD mice, it decreased carbohydrate oxidation.
Conclusions:
- Reduced physical activity leads to a positive energy balance and weight gain in mice on both HFD and LFD.
- Dietary macronutrient composition dictates the specific fuel source (fat or carbohydrate) that is oxidized less when energy expenditure decreases.
- This highlights the role of diet in determining fuel utilization strategies under changing energetic demands.
