Effects of early-life exposure to Western diet and voluntary exercise on adult activity levels, exercise physiology, and associated traits in selectively bred High Runner mice.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the long-term effects of early-life Western Diet (WD) and exercise on adult voluntary exercise behavior and related phenotypes in genetically distinct mouse lines.
Results Summary
Early-life WD increased juvenile wheel-running initially but effects disappeared by the third week; it also increased adult lean mass and preference for WD but had no significant effect on adult body fat or aerobic capacity. The effects of WD were modulated by genetic background, with HR mice showing increased adult wheel running.
Population
Genetically distinct mouse lines (four high runner and four control lines).
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
3 weeks (from weaning at 3 weeks old to 6 weeks of age)
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western diet (WD) | increase | distance run | C mice | 29% | increased | #1 |
Western diet (WD) | increase | distance run | HR mice | 48% | increased | #2 |
Western diet (WD) | increase | fat mass | mice | - | significantly increased | #3 |
early-life exercise | increase | wheel running | C mice | - | increased | #4 |
early-life exercise | decrease | adult anxiety-like behavior | mice | - | reduced | #5 |
early-life exercise | increase | adult fasted blood glucose levels | mice | - | increased | #6 |
early-life exercise | increase | triceps surae mass | mice | - | increased | #7 |
early-life exercise | increase | subdermal fat pad mass | mice | - | increased | #8 |
early-life exercise | increase | brain mass | mice | - | increased | #9 |
early-life exercise | decrease | heart ventricle mass | mice | - | decreased | #10 |
early-life exercise | increase | adult leptin concentration | mice | - | increased | #11 |
early-life WD | increase | adult wheel running | HR mice | - | increased | #12 |
early-life WD | increase | adult lean mass | mice | - | increased | #13 |
early-life WD | increase | adult preference for Western diet | mice | - | increased | #14 |
early-life treatment | no change | adult body fat | mice | no significant change | had no significant effect | #15 |
early-life treatment | no change | maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) | mice | no significant change | had no significant effect | #16 |
Exercise behavior is under partial genetic control, but it is also affected by numerous environmental factors, potentially including early-life experiences whose effects persist into adulthood. We studied genetic and early-life environmental effects on wheel-running behavior in a mouse model that includes four replicate high runner (HR) lines selectively bred for increased voluntary wheel running as young adults and four non-selected control (C) lines. In a full factorial design, mice from each line were granted wheel access or not and administered either standard or Western diet (WD) from weaning (3 weeks old) to 6 weeks of age (sexual maturity). In addition to acute effects, after a washout period of 8 weeks (∼6 human years) in which all mice had standard diet and no wheel access, we found both beneficial and detrimental effects of these early-life exposures. During the first week of treatments, WD increased distance run by 29% in C mice and 48% in HR mice (significant Diet × Linetype interaction), but diet effects disappeared by the third week. Across the three weeks of juvenile treatment, WD significantly increased fat mass (with lean mass as a covariate). Tested as adults, early-life exercise increased wheel running of C mice but not HR mice in the first week. Early-life exercise also reduced adult anxiety-like behavior and increased adult fasted blood glucose levels, triceps surae mass, subdermal fat pad mass, and brain mass, but decreased heart ventricle mass. Using fat mass as a covariate, early-life exercise treatment increased adult leptin concentration. In contrast, early-life WD increased adult wheel running of HR mice but not C mice. Early-life WD also increased adult lean mass and adult preference for Western diet in all groups. Surprisingly, early-life treatment had no significant effect on adult body fat or maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max). No previous study has tested for combined or interactive effects of early-life WD and exercise. Our results demonstrate that both factors can have long-lasting effects on adult voluntary exercise and related phenotypes, and that these effects are modulated by genetic background. Overall, the long-lasting effects of early-life exercise were more pervasive than those of WD, suggesting critical opportunities for health intervention in childhood habits, as well as possible threats from modern challenges. These results may be relevant for understanding potential effects of activity reductions and dietary changes associated with the obesity epidemic and COVID-19 pandemic.