Relationship Between Body Weight And Physical Activity In Aging Female F2 Mice.

Abstract

Endurance activity and body weight (BW) are typically suggested to be inversely related throughout the lifespan, yet research has provided conflicting results. PURPOSE:We investigated the relationship between body weight and daily voluntary running wheel activity across the lifespan in female F2 mice. METHODS:One hundred twenty-nine female F2 mice derived from high physically active (SWR/J) and low physically active (DBA/2 J) F0 progenitors were individually housed in cages with running wheels and magnetic sensors. Daily duration (min/d), daily distance (km/d) and weekly BW measurements (g) were recorded from nine weeks of age until the end of life. Average daily speed (m/min) was calculated. RESULTS:Body weight increased with age (p < 0.0001). Daily duration increased from age 20 to 44 weeks and decreased thereafter to 88 weeks of age (p < 0.0001), while average daily running speed declined with age (p < 0.0001). Across the lifespan, we found a significant correlation between BW and duration (p < 0.0001, r = -0.117, r2 = 0.014) and between BW and speed (p = 0.005, r = -0.060, r2 = 0.004), with week-specific correlations for these variables both early and late in the lifespan. CONCLUSIONS:The significant correlations of speed and duration to BW early and late in the lifespan suggests differing influence of activity on BW depending upon the age of the mouse.