Lifelong physical activity attenuates age- and Western-style diet-related declines in physical function and adverse changes in skeletal muscle mass and inflammation

It is unknown if consumption of a Western diet (WD; high-fat/sucrose), versus a non-WD (healthy diet), accelerates declines in physical function over the adult lifespan, and whether regular voluntary activity attenuates age- and WD-associated declines in function. Accordingly, we studied 4 cohorts of mice that consumed either normal chow [NC] or WD with or without access (sedentary, Sed) to voluntary wheel running [VWR] beginning at 3 mo of age. We assessed coordination, grip strength and endurance every 6 mo throughout life, and measured skeletal muscle mass and inflammation at 3 pre-determined ages (6-7, 13-14 and 19-20 mo). Age-related declines (% change 3-18 mo) in physical function were accelerated in WD-Sed versus NC-Sed (coordination: +47 ± 5%; grip strength: +18 ± 2%; endurance: +32 ± 5%; all p < 0.05). VWR attenuated declines in physical function within diet group (coordination: -31 ± 3% with WD-VWR; -18 ± 2% with NC-VWR; grip strength: -26 ± 2% with WD-VWR; -24 ± 2% with NC-VWR; endurance: -48 ± 4% with WD-VWR; -23 ± 6% with NC-VWR; all p < 0.05). Skeletal muscle mass loss and pro-inflammatory cytokine abundance were exacerbated by WD throughout life (mass: NC-Sed [-]7-28%, WD-Sed [-]17-40%; inflammation: NC-Sed [+]40-65%, WD-Sed [+]40-84%, all p < 0.05 versus NC-Sed), and attenuated by VWR (mass: NC-VWR, [-]0-10%, WD-VWR [-]0-10%; inflammation: NC-VWR [+]0-30%, WD-VWR [+]0-42%, all p < 0.05 versus diet-matched Sed group). Our results depict the temporal impairment of physical function over the lifespan in mice, acceleration of dysfunction with WD, the protective effects of voluntary exercise, and the potential associations with skeletal muscle mass and inflammation.