Luke Olsen, Michaella Levy, J Kyle Medley, Huzaifa Hassan, Brandon Miller, Richard Alexander, Emma Wilcock, Kexi Yi, Laurence Florens, Kyle Weaver, Sean A McKinney, Robert Peuß, Jenna Persons, Alexander Kenzior, Ernesto Maldonado, Kym Delventhal, Andrew Gluesenkamp, Edward Mager, David Coughlin, Nicolas Rohner
Physical inactivity is a scourge to human health, promoting metabolic disease and muscle wasting. Interestingly, multiple ecological niches have relaxed investment into physical activity, providing an evolutionary perspective into the effect of adaptive physical inactivity on tissue homeostasis. One such example, the Mexican cavefish Astyanax mexicanus, has lost moderate-to-vigorous activity following cave colonization, reaching basal swim speeds ~3.7-fold slower than their river-dwelling counterpart. This change in behavior is accompanied by a marked shift in body composition, decreasing total muscle mass and increasing fat mass...
January 31, 2023: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America