The Jackson Laboratory

Good Vibrations Keep Mice Slim

JAX^® NOTES Issue 509, Spring 2008

The C57BL/6J (B6, 000664) strain, one of the two used by Dr. Rosen and his colleagues.

Good, good, good, good vibrations. Maybe the Beach Boys were onto something. Researchers at Stony Brook University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, along with The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, have demonstrated that mice exposed to 15 weeks of virtually imperceptible vibrations develop far fewer fat cells and have substantially lower liver triglyceride levels and other key type 2 diabetes risk factors than genetically identical controls (Rubin et al. 2007).

One of the authors of the study was Clifford Rosen MD, an osteoporosis researcher here at The Jackson Laboratory: "Obesity and type 2 diabetes are a real threat to public health in the United States and the rest of the developed world. People know they're supposed to eat less and exercise more, but aren't always successful. We're now looking at a possible treatment for humans at risk for these diseases, especially elderly people with limited mobility. These low-magnitude mechanical signals appear to do something remarkable, and that is inhibit the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into fat cells. This is indicative that stem cells turn into either fat, bone, or muscle cells. Theoretically, a mechanical signal that controls the differentiation of stem cells could prevent obesity and perhaps osteoporosis by inducing the cells to develop into bone or muscle cells rather than fat cells."

According to lead researcher, Clinton Rubin PhD, the study results are striking and may lead to a non-strenuous, drug-free method of controlling obesity. During their testing, researchers took into account associations that have been discovered between vibrations and adverse health conditions, such as low-back pain, cartilage erosion, and circulatory disorders. Such associations have led the International Safety Organization to advise limiting human exposure to mechanical signals. The mechanical signals used to produce vibrations in the mice are barely perceptible to the human eye and are well below those experienced during walking.

Dr. Rubin emphasizes that more research must be conducted before low-magnitude vibrations are approved as a means of reducing fat production in humans. Although the results suggest that exercise is not needed to inhibit fat production, Dr. Rubin cautions that the role of exercise in reducing existing fat remains critical to weight control.

Reference

(Author in bold is a Jackson Laboratory Professor)

Rubin CT, Capilla E, Luu YK, Busa B, Crawford H, Nolan DJ, Mittal V, Rosen CJ, Pessin JE, Judex S. 2007. Adipogenesis is inhibited by brief, daily exposure to high-frequency, extremely low-magnitude mechanical signals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:17879-84.