Evening star., 1952-09-17
Mice Tests Throw Liqht
On Why Men Get Fat
Found to Differ Greatly
In Choice of Food
By Thomos r. Henry


Fat mice are throwing light on what
makes men fat.
Experiments with hereditary strain
Of obese animals at Harvard Medical
School have been reported by DR.. Jean
Mayer at conference on fatness at
the Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor.
In a nutritional study DR.. Mayer
found that fat mice ate more-but not
much more-than thin mice when they
were allowed to eat freely and pick their
own diets. The animals differed greatly,
however. in their choice of food. The
fat mice chose food high in fat, while
the thin ones preferred low-fat foods.
Humans. according to the Jackson
Laboratory report, follow much the same
pattern. The fat lady eats cream puffs
and the thin one carrots. In study Of
diabetic patients DR.. Mayer found that
they tended to choose foods much higher
In fats than did non-diabetics.
Tried ON Four Diets.
DR.. Mayer tried fat mice on four diets.
On low-fat diet, it was found, they do
not gain weight. On very high fat diets
they actually lose weight, become sick
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times the normal amount-they lose
weight but develop various diseases. On
q sugar diet they get constantly fatter.
AS they grow older, it was found. fat
mice tend to develop insulin-resistant
diabetes. The same disease occurs in
humans. Ninety per cent develops after
the age Of 40 and occurs in overweight
persons. Both mice and men will re-
spond in about the same way to cutting
down calorieS.
The mice threw some light on the
reasons for overeating. Dr. Mayors
studies show that fat animals eat more
than thin ones in proportion to their
blood sugar level. He examined the blood
Of humans and found that when blood
sugar Is low the individual always is
hungry. When it is high he is never
hungry.
The fact that gold injection will pro-
duce fatness was reported by Dr. George
Brecher Of the National Cancer Institute.
While studying the effects Of poisonous
amounts of gold in treatment Of arthritis
he discovered that his experimental mice
unaccountably were gaining weight. The
gold apparently permanently upsets the
animals metabolism. Similar results
were reported by DR.. Thomas H. Maren
OF the American Cyanamid Co.
Same Blood Sugar Level.
He found that mice made fat with gold
resemble hereditary fat mice in size and
the fact that they are sterile. There is.
however, no different blood sugar level.
He reported that, in proportion to body
weight. the fat mouse eats and drinks
less than the thin one. In both mice
and humans there is large fraction Of
calories which are unaccounted for. In
some cases this fraction is used in activ-
ity and in others it is stored as fat The
reasons for this difference now are being
studied.
Studies of the endocrine glands Of fat
mice were reported. The tentative find-
ings were that the thyroid has no part
in producing obesity. The pituitary gland
is essential II fatness is to develop, but
this does not mean that any abnormality
OF the gland is responsible.
The hereditary strain of fat mice was
developed at the Jackson Laboratory in
1949. It Is normally nearly sterile but
has been perpetuated by highly special
lied technique by which unfertilized eggs
OF fat female have been transplanted
into normal animals. Progress has been
very slow. A year ago the colony pro-
duced only from three to seven fat mice
a month. The figure now has been raised
to about 76.