Faculty Collaboration Database

Maternal obesity and high-fat diet program offspring metabolic syndrome. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2014 Sep;211(3):237.e1-237.e13

Date

03/19/2014

Pubmed ID

24631702

Pubmed Central ID

PMC4149836

DOI

10.1016/j.ajog.2014.03.025

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85058205849 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   217 Citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We determined the potential programming effects of maternal obesity and high-fat (HF) diet during pregnancy and/or lactation on offspring metabolic syndrome.

STUDY DESIGN: A rat model of maternal obesity was created using an HF diet prior to and throughout pregnancy and lactation. At birth, pups were cross-fostered, thereby generating 4 paradigms of maternal diets during pregnancy/lactation: (1) control (Con) diet during pregnancy and lactation (Con/Con), (2) HF during pregnancy and lactation (HF/HF), (3) HF during pregnancy alone (HF/Con), and (4) HF during lactation alone (Con/HF).

RESULTS: Maternal phenotype during pregnancy and the end of lactation evidenced markedly elevated body fat and plasma corticosterone levels in HF dams. In the offspring, the maternal HF diet during pregnancy alone programmed increased offspring adiposity, although with normal body weight, whereas the maternal HF diet during lactation increased both body weight and adiposity. Metabolic disturbances, particularly that of hyperglycemia, were apparent in all groups exposed to the maternal HF diet (during pregnancy and/or lactation), although differences were apparent in the manifestation of insulin resistant vs insulin-deficient phenotypes. Elevated systolic blood pressure was manifest in all groups, implying that exposure to an obese/HF environment is disadvantageous for offspring health, regardless of pregnancy or lactation periods. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism may differ because offspring that experienced in utero HF exposure had increased corticosterone levels.

CONCLUSION: Maternal obesity/HF diet has a marked impact on offspring body composition and the risk of metabolic syndrome was dependent on the period of exposure during pregnancy and/or lactation.

Author List

Desai M, Jellyman JK, Han G, Beall M, Lane RH, Ross MG

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Body Composition
Corticosterone
Diet, High-Fat
Eating
Female
Lactation
Lipids
Male
Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Metabolic Syndrome
Obesity
Pregnancy
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley