ObjectiveMaternal high‐fat diet (HFD) increases offspring obesity, yet the impacts of different levels of maternal dietary fat have seldom been addressed. In mice, the impact of graded maternal dietary fat on offspring adiposity and offspring’s later susceptibility to HFD were assessed.MethodsLactating mice were fed diets with graded fat content from 8.3% to 66.6%. One male and one female pup from each litter were weaned onto a low‐fat diet for 15 weeks. HFD (41.7%) was then introduced to half of the offspring for 12 weeks.ResultsOffspring body weight and adiposity were positively related to maternal dietary fat content and were higher when mothers were exposed to HFD. The maternal diet effect was nonlinear and sex dependent. A maternal dietary fat of 41.7% and above exaggerated the offspring body weight gain in males but was not significant in females. Maternal 8.3% fat and 25% fat diets led to the highest daily energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in offspring. Offspring fed a low‐fat diet had higher daily energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio than those fed an HFD.ConclusionsIncreasing maternal dietary fat during lactation, and HFD in later life, had significant and interacting impacts on offspring obesity. Maternal diet had a bigger impact on male offspring. The effects of maternal dietary fat content were nonlinear.
The heat dissipation limit theory predicts that lactating female mice consuming diets with lower specific dynamic action (SDA) should have enhanced lactation performance. Dietary fat has lower SDA than other macronutrients. Here we tested the effects of graded dietary fat levels on lactating Swiss mice. We fed females five diets varying in fat content from 8.3 to 66.6%. Offspring of mothers fed diets of 41.7% fat and above were heavier and fatter at weaning compared with those of 8.3 and 25% fat diets. Mice on dietary fat contents of 41.7% and above had greater metabolizable energy intake at peak
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