Meeting Abstract
Obesity and its concomitant health complications have become an epidemic all over the world, but the evolutionary sources of its origin still remain unknown. One of the most popular concepts in literature is the thrifty gene hypothesis (TGH) proposing the adaptive nature of a high fat gain. According to TGH individuals carrying the thrifty gens were able of enhanced fat storage making them less susceptible to periods of food scarcity. One idea is that thrifty genotype may underlie low basal metabolic rate (BMR), which increases fat storage through reduced metabolic maintenance costs, especially when physical activity is limited. We verified this prediction on mice artificially selected for divergent levels of BMR (high H-BMR, low L-BMR type mice). The animals were exposed to a 4 month long unlimited access to diets emulating the so called western diet (high fat and high carbohydrate) with no access to running wheels. Our preliminary results show that although H-BMR type animals consumed more food throughout the experiment they also showed higher levels of voluntary activity, gained less weight and had lower levels of blood triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose then the L-BMR individuals at the end of the experimental period. These basic indicators suggest that genetically determined low BMR may be a factor predisposing individuals to developing of a cluster of metabolic abnormalities occurring in response to a typical high fat/high carb western diet.
