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Animal Models

Obesity-induced decreases in muscle performance are not reversed by weight loss

International Journal of Obesity volume 41, pages 1271–1278 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Obesity can affect muscle phenotypes, and may thereby constrain movement and energy expenditure. Weight loss is a common and intuitive intervention for obesity, but it is not known whether the effects of obesity on muscle function are reversible by weight loss. Here we tested whether obesity-induced changes in muscle metabolic and contractile phenotypes are reversible by weight loss.

Subjects/Methods:

We used zebrafish (Danio rerio) in a factorial design to compare energy metabolism, locomotor capacity, muscle isometric force and work-loop power output, and myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition between lean fish, diet-induced obese fish, and fish that were obese and then returned to lean body mass following diet restriction.

Results:

Obesity increased resting metabolic rates (P<0.001) and decreased maximal metabolic rates (P=0.030), but these changes were reversible by weight loss, and were not associated with changes in muscle citrate synthase activity. In contrast, obesity-induced decreases in locomotor performance (P=0.0034), and isolated muscle isometric stress (P=0.01), work-loop power output (P<0.001) and relaxation rates (P=0.012) were not reversed by weight loss. Similarly, obesity-induced decreases in concentrations of fast and slow MHCs, and a shift toward fast MHCs were not reversed by weight loss.

Conclusion:

Obesity-induced changes in locomotor performance and muscle contractile function were not reversible by weight loss. These results show that weight loss alone may not be a sufficient intervention.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Alec Simmons and Isabella Loughland for help with laboratory work. The research was supported by the University of Sydney and Coventry University, and Australian Research Council Discovery Grant DP160102260 to FS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    F Seebacher & K McShea

  2. Centre for Applied Biological and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    J Tallis & R S James

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  1. F Seebacher
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Correspondence to F Seebacher.

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Seebacher, F., Tallis, J., McShea, K. et al. Obesity-induced decreases in muscle performance are not reversed by weight loss. Int J Obes 41, 1271–1278 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.81

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