Obese or not? Reconsidering Sex Differences in the Characterization of Western Diet‐Induced Obesity in a Murine Model

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2022-05, Vol.36 (S1), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Yuen, Amanda, Perez, Alexis, Kiernan, Risa, Carrillo‐Sepulveda, Maria Alicia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2022.36.S1.R5537

Background In the United States, consumption of a Western diet (WD), high in sugar and fat, has largely contributed to the epidemic of obesity, a major public health problem affecting both males and females. Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight‐for‐height utilized to classify overweight and obesity in humans. However, this index alone is not translational in determining obesity in rodents. Moreover, sex differences in diet‐induced obesity in mice are not well‐characterized. We aim to study temporal metabolic changes in association with body weight gain caused by WD in males and females. Methods Our lab has established a model of WD‐induced obesity in mice. Adult C57BL6 male and female mice were randomized into two experimental groups. The control group (n=7) was fed a standard chow diet (5% fat, 48.7% carbohydrates [3.2% sucrose], and 24.1% protein) and the WD group (n=11) was fed a WD (40% fat, 43% carbohydrates [34% sucrose], and 17% protein) for 20 weeks. Body weight, BMI, Lee Index (calculated as the cube root of body weight (g)/body length (cm)), intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), and metabolic cage studies were performed every 4 weeks to study the temporal metabolic changes caused by WD. Results While males showed significant increase in body weight after 3 weeks on WD (31.72g vs. 29.01g control, p