Mouse study: 30% calorie restriction and bone marrow fat by site, sex and duration
In 9-week-old mice, 30% calorie restriction expanded bone marrow fat in a site-, duration- and region-specific way, altered bone structure by time, region and sex, and changed several metabolic markers; the abstract reports associations, not causes. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Nine-week-old male and female C57BL/6NCrl mice received 30% calorie restriction for 1, 2, 4 or 6 weeks. [1]
Bone marrow fat expansion was greater in tibiae than femora and absent in humeri. [1]
Fat expansion was not associated with altered glucose tolerance, body mass, total fat mass or fat percentage. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Animal study (abstract)
- Population / context
- 9-week-old male and female C57BL/6NCrl mice
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- May 11, 2026
Mice on 30% restriction for 1 to 6 weeks
The study used 9-week-old male and female C57BL/6NCrl mice given 30% calorie restriction for 1, 2, 4 or 6 weeks. Bone structure and bone marrow adipose tissue volume were measured by micro-computed tomography with a spatial method that maps this fat within bones. The abstract frames the question as whether bone marrow fat is a cause or consequence of bone loss during calorie restriction.
Supporting source [1]
Fat expansion varied by bone site and plateaued
The expansion of bone marrow fat was site-specific: greater in tibiae than femora and absent in humeri. It also increased in the distal tibia, although this region had been suggested to resist such environmental modulation. Expansion was duration-dependent, plateauing after 4 weeks, and region-specific, particularly in the tibial metaphysis, femoral metaphysis and distal tibia. Bone changes were time-, region- and sex-dependent, and fat levels were more tightly associated with trabecular than cortical changes.
Supporting source [1]
Metabolic markers shifted; fat not tied to glucose tolerance
Calorie restriction increased adiponectin, corticosterone and ketones and decreased leptin, IGF-1 and insulin, in a sex- and/or duration-dependent manner. Metabolic phenotyping found that bone marrow fat expansion was not associated with altered glucose tolerance, body mass, total fat mass or fat percentage, but correlated with energy deficit and systemic lipid mobilisation. The authors describe a complex interplay between fat expansion, bone remodelling and metabolic homeostasis.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract; the full text was not reviewed. Findings come from mice, so they do not establish effects in humans. The abstract reports associations and correlations, not causes, and does not show that calorie restriction extends lifespan or benefits human bone health.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Chen KC, Sulston RJ, Suchacki KJ, Ikushima YM, Thomas BJ, Lovdel A, Lafond AJ, Mitchell SE, Speakman JR, Morton NM, Semple RK, Cawthorn WP. · europepmc.org · May 11, 2026