The metabolic advantage of being young and male in obesity treatment outcomes in mice

Although diversity in clinical trials is important to test the efficacy of a treatment, weight loss trials rarely account for age and sex. To highlight this deficiency, we set out to test whether age and sex affect WAT mobilization after weight loss surgery or intermittent fasting, in an obese mouse model. Here we show that male sex, youth, and WAT transcriptomic plasticity are characteristics associated with improved weight loss outcomes. Conversely, aging impairs WAT mobilization and transcriptomic plasticity. Greater surgical weight loss is associated with changes in the expression of genes relevant to the IL17 inflammatory signaling pathway, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) signaling, lipolysis, carbohydrate metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. In conclusion, female sex and older age appear to hinder molecular processes necessary for the reversal of WAT expansion. Future studies should examine the relevance of these findings to human obesity therapeutics.