Obesity: Prediction of Preobesity Among Progeny from Crosses of ob/ + Mice 1

Abstract

Summary

The reliability of using oxygen consumption for the detection of ob/ob mice, among the progeny of heterozygote crosses, prior to the phenotypic expression of obesity was ascertained. Differences between obese and thin siblings that were great enough for predicting purposes were observed only after weaning. At 23 days of age ob/ob mice were identified on the basis of their individual oxygen consumption with 90% reliability. The ability to predict a pre-obese condition makes possible the differentiation of metabolic alterations preceding obesity from those that subsequently develop.

We are grateful to Dr. G. H. Fried for supplying a prototype of the special Warburg flask, to Mr. G. Lolas for technical assistance, and to Mrs. M. Ritchey for typing the manuscript.