The Effect of a Combined Fast and Chronic Stress on Body Mass, Blood Metabolites, Corticosterone, and Behavior in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus).
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: ) to three weeks of daily fasts combined with daily intermittent repeated acute stressors to create chronic stress, followed by two weeks of daily fasts without stressors. We measured circulating glucose, β-hydroxybutyrate (a ketone), and uric acid in both fasted and fed states. We expected birds to be in phase II (high fat breakdown) in a fasted state, but if wear-and-tear accumulated sufficiently, we hypothesized a shift to phase III (high protein breakdown). Throughout the experiment, the birds exhibited elevated β-hydroxybutyrate when fasting but no changes in circulating uric acid, indicating that a transition to phase III did not occur. In both a fasted and fed state, the birds increased glucose mobilization throughout the experiment, suggesting wear-and-tear occurred, but was not sufficient to induce a shift to phase III. Additionally, the birds exhibited a significant decrease in weight, no change in corticosterone, and a transient decrease in neophobia with chronic stress. In conclusion, the birds appear to have experienced wear-and-tear, but our protocol did not accelerate the transition from phase II to phase III of fasting.
Source: PubMed Central
Institution: Tufts University
Language: English
Topic: Dietary Effects on Health
Subfield: Physiology (medical)
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Science Foundation
OpenAlex ID: W4226229858