Long lasting alterations of feeding by adolescent obesity

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, especially amongst younger populations. As both brain and body are still under development, numerous studies have shown that adolescence is an especially sensitive period for the impact of external insults including unbalanced diets. To better understand and prevent the vulnerability to obesity and maladaptive food choice, it is crucial to explore the long-term impact of adolescent exposure to obesogenic diets on different feeding behaviours. To address this, we gave mice access to an obesogenic diet with a very high-fat content (vHFD) specifically during adolescence and investigated the long-lasting impact on feeding at adulthood months after a switch to a healthy diet. Using specific feeding tests, we found that both males and females vHFD-exposed mice exhibited an increased intake of both standard food and palatable high-fat foods, without impacting preference for non-caloric food rewards. Importantly, these sex-dependent alterations are not fully correlated with diet-induced weight gain but may support long-term vulnerability to overeating and the development or maintenance of obesity.