The Effects of a High Fat Diet on Measures of Bone Microarchitecture in Mouse Bones (P01-032-19)

Abstract

Objectives

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease that increases with age and is characterized by increased bone fragility. However, dietary factors can influence the development of osteoporosis. For example, high fat diets (HFD) have been shown to have detrimental effects on bone density and quantity. However, the effects of HFD on bone microarchitecture have not been extensively studied. The architecture of the bone is important because it provides information regarding the quality of the bone and not just quantity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of HFD on bone microarchitecture in mice when compared to low fat diet fed mice.

Methods

Five-week-old mice were randomized into two different treatment groups, control and HFD ( n = 6 per group). The control group were fed AIN-93 G growing rodent diet (20% protein, 65% carbohydrate (CHO), 15% fat) while the HFD group was fed a standard HFD ordered from Research Diets Inc. Cat #D12451M (20% protein, 35% CHO, 45% fat) for 20 weeks. After 20 weeks the animals were sacrificed and left tibial bone specimen were prepared for analysis via micro-computed tomography. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA to detect differences between groups.

Results

Mean values ± SEM for bone measurements (control, HFD) are as follows. Total Volume (TV) (6.04 mm ³ ± 0.077, 6.16 mm ³ ± 0.12 mm), bone volume (BV) (2.33 mm ³ ± 0.054, 1.89 mm ³ ± 0.06), BV/TV (0.386% ± 0.011, 0.31% ± 0.01), structural model index (SMI) (−0.687 ± 0.097, −0.35 ± 0.09), connective density (Conn.D) (775.83 ± 51.2, 693.8 ± 91.7), trabecular number (Tb.N) (7.52 mm ± 0.135, 6.23 mm ± 0.32), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) (0.059 mm ± 0.0009, 0.056 mm ± 0.00069), and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) (0.139 mm ± 0.003, 0.18 mm ± 0.0063). BV, BV/TV, Tb.N and Tb.Th values were all significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in the control group versus the HFD group while SMI and Tb.Sp were significantly lower ( P < 0.05).

Conclusions

These results agree with previous studies showing that HFD has detrimental effects on bone. This study demonstrated that HFD negatively impacts the microarchitecture of bone, specifically trabecular number, thickness, and separation which are important for overall structure, strength, and flexibility of bone. Future studies should focus on mechanisms underlying the role of HFD on the microarchitecture of bone.

Funding Sources

None