Vitamin B Overconsumption on Diet-Induced Obesity in Danio rerio (Zebrafish)
KHURANA, Ishita
DOI: http://doi.org/10.34614/2022IYRC25
Category: STEM
Abstract – Obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries such as the United States, yet interventional treatments are limited to surgery and behavioral therapy. There has been little progress or research in terms of FDA policies for decreasing the prevalence of obesity even though studies have shown that dietary components of foods eaten in different parts of the world, namely vitamins and minerals, may play a major role in increasing obesity risk. The increased fortification of food with one such component, vitamin B, is particularly strongly correlated with globally increasing rates of obesity. Despite the fact, no previous studies have explored this factor experimentally. Using the zebrafish model for diet-induced obesity, this study 1) tested whether excess vitamin intake has a causal effect on obesity risk and 2) compared the effect of excess vitamin B (thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine) on the weight gain trajectories of normal-fat diet (NFD) and high-fat diet (HFD) zebrafish. Zebrafish weight was measured every three days, while length was measured once at the beginning and once at the end of a three-week period. Preliminary data demonstrated that vitamin excess significantly contributes to weight gain in NFD fish and length gain in HFD fish, revealing the necessity of vitamin B fortification standard reevaluation.