Weight gain by middle-aged mice: dietary modification does not result in loss

Dietary induced obesity susceptibility and persistence was examined in middle aged female retired C57BL/6J breeder mice. One year old mice were fed control chow (C), chow with added corn oil (O), or chow with added sweetened condensed milk (SCM) for 18 weeks, during which time food consumption and weight change were monitored. Mice in both the O and SCM groups gained significantly more weight than the C group. Weight increase correlated with caloric intake for the O and SCM groups. All mice were then fed standard laboratory chow for 22 weeks. The increased weight of both supplemented groups was maintained during this time suggesting that caloric intake is not the sole variable controlling weight maintenance in adult female mice. We encourage the use of older mice as a model to explore means of manipulating adult weight in humans.