Variations in body weight, food intake and body composition after long‐term high‐fat diet feeding in C57BL/6J mice

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Vol. 22; no. 10; pp. 2147 - 2155
• Main Authors: Yang, Yongbin, Smith, Daniel L., Keating, Karen D., Allison, David B., Nagy, Tim R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.10.2014
• Subjects: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Body Composition; Body Weight - physiology; Diet, High-Fat; Eating; Female; Gender differences; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Multivariate Analysis; Obesity; Rodents; Studies; Teenagers; Time Factors; Weight control
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X
• DOI: 10.1002/oby.20811

Objective To investigate the variations in body weight, food intake, and body composition of both male and female C57BL/6J mice during a diet‐induced obesity model with high‐fat diet (HFD) feeding. Methods Mice were individually housed and fed ad libitum either a low‐fat diet (LFD, 10% calories from fat; n = 15 male, n = 15 female) or HFD (45% calories from fat; n = 277 male, n = 278 female) from 8 to 43 weeks of age. Body weight, food intake, and body composition were routinely measured. Results Body weight was significantly increased with HFD (vs. LFD) in males from week 14 (P = 0.0221) and in females from week 27 (P = 0.0076). Fat mass and fat‐free mass of all groups were significantly increased over time (all P < 0.0001), with a large variation observed in fat mass. Baseline fat mass, fat‐free mass, and daily energy intake were significant predictors of future body weight for both sexes (P < 0.0001). Baseline fat mass was a significant predictor of future body fat (P < 0.0001). Conclusions Both males and females have large variations in fat mass, and this variability increases over time, while that of fat‐free mass remains relatively stable. Sex differences exist in HFD responses and multivariate predicting models of body weight.