Publications [#370606] of Sarah Little

Journal Articles

1. Letsinger, AC; Yang, F; Menon, R; Little-Letsinger, SE; Granados, JZ; Breidenbach, B; Iyer, AR; Padovani, TC; Nagel, EC; Jayaraman, A; Lightfoot, JT. "Reduced Wheel Running via a High-Fat Diet Is Reversed by a Chow Diet with No Added Benefit from Fecal Microbial Transplants.." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 54.9 (September, 2022): 1437-1447. [doi]
   (last updated on 2025/06/15)

   Abstract:
   

   Purpose

   Chronic overfeeding via a high-fat/high-sugar (HFHS) diet decreases wheel running and substantially alters the gut metabolome of C57BL/6J mice. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that fecal microbial transplants can modulate the effect of diet on wheel running.

   Methods

   Singly housed, 6-wk-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed either a grain-based diet (CHOW) or HFHS diet and provided a running wheel for 13 wk. Low-active, HFHS-exposed mice were then either switched to a CHOW diet and given an oral fecal microbial transplant from mice fed the CHOW diet, switched to a CHOW diet and given a sham transplant, or remained on the HFHS diet and given a fecal microbial transplant from mice fed the CHOW diet. Total wheel running, nutrient intake, body composition, fecal microbial composition, fecal metabolite composition, and liver steatosis were measured at various times throughout the study.

   Results

   We found that an HFHS diet decreases wheel running activity, increases body fat, and decreases microbial alpha diversity compared with a CHOW diet. Improvements in wheel running, body composition, and microbial alpha diversity were accomplished within 2 wk for mice switched from an HFHS diet to a CHOW diet with no clear evidence of an added benefit from fecal transplants. A fecal transplant from mice fed a CHOW diet without altering diet did not improve wheel running or body composition. Wheel running, body composition, fecal microbial composition, fecal metabolite composition, and liver steatosis percentage were primarily determined by diet.

   Conclusions

   Our results suggest that diet is a primary mediator of wheel running with no clear effect from fecal microbial transplants.