Intermittent availability of sugar‐sweetened beverages induces different reactions in mice sensitive or resistant to diet‐induced obesity (811.1)

Abstract

Sensitivity to obesity is highly variable in humans, and mice fed high caloric diets are used as a model of this heterogeneity. We hypothesised that obesity‐associated metabolic abnormalities due to long‐term consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSB) were greater for mice sensitive to obesity induced by a high caloric diet.180 male C57BL/6 mice were fed a western diet (WD) for 3 weeks. The 45 obesity prone (OP) mice (those with the greatest weight gain) and the 45 obesity resistant (OR) mice (lowest weight gain), were retained and each divided into 3 groups (n=15/group) with access to WD plus either: i) water for 16 weeks, ii) water and SSB‐2h (12.6% w/v sucrose in water, random 2h period a day, random 5 days per week) for 16 weeks, or iii) water and SSB‐2h for 8 weeks, then access to only water for 8 weeks.SSB consumption led to increased fat mass for both OP and OR mice, without increasing total caloric intake. OP mice with access to SSB had a greater body weight gain and adiposity, food efficiency, increased hepatic lipid accumulation, and developed insulin resistance. Results from group (iii) show that most effects were at least partly reversible.Our study demonstrates that time‐limited and random access to SSB for 16 weeks has metabolic consequences that are greater for OP mice. Quantification of genes involved in lipid metabolism, insulin signaling and central satiety pathways will allow us to understand their origins.