Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Publication Date

4-29-2026

Faculty Mentor

Stephen Kolwicz

Abstract

Nutritional and behavioral interventions are important strategies for mitigating the physical and metabolic consequences of diet-induced obesity. In this study, we combined dietary reversal with voluntary physical activity in obese female mice to characterize changes in physical and metabolic health compared to dietary change alone. Female mice were fed a standard chow diet (13% kcal from fat) until 16 weeks of age, followed by a high-fat diet (HFD; 60% kcal from fat) for 8 weeks. After this period, mice were switched back to standard chow for an additional 4 weeks. In a subset of mice, running wheels were introduced to evaluate the combined effects of dietary normalization and voluntary exercise. Body weight was measured weekly throughout the 12-week study. Daily running distance was recorded via an automated data acquisition system. Food intake was determined by measuring the difference between food provided and remaining, and caloric intake was calculated based on caloric content of the chow or high fat diets. This preliminary study establishes critical baseline data that will inform future investigations examining the combined effects of exercise and the GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide on metabolic health.

Comments

This study was supported by an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA, #R15HL177624) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Presented as part of the Ursinus College Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA) held April 29, 2026.

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