Submission Date

7-22-2026

Document Type

Paper- Restricted to Campus Access

Department

Health & Exercise Physiology

Faculty Mentor

Stephen Kolwicz

Comments

Presented during the 28th Annual Summer Fellows Symposium, July 24, 2026 at Ursinus College.

Project Description

Excessive consumption of dietary fatty acids have adverse effects on certain health parameters, with the increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Specifically, saturated fats are linked to increased cardiovascular risk while unsaturated fats are suggested to protect against cardiovascular disease. However, whether different high fat diets result in similar obesity phenotypes is not clear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a high saturated fat diet (HSFD) and a high unsaturated fat diet (UFD) on diet-induced obesity. C57BL/6Ncrl Male (n = 10) and female (n = 11) mice at 16 weeks of age were randomly assigned to SFD and UFD groups for 8 weeks. Both diets contained 60% calories from fat with the SFD containing 61% saturated fat and the UFD containing 68% unsaturated fat. All mice were weighed weekly to monitor weight gain, and food intake was measured approximately every two days to assess caloric intake. At the end of 8 weeks, glucose tolerance tests were conducted in all mice by injection of a glucose solution and measuring blood glucose levels at the start, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after injection. After 48 hours, the heart, liver, spleen, quadriceps, and adipose tissue, were collected and weighed. The findings of this study will determine whether a SFD or UFD is more effective in the development of obesity in male and female mice.

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