No abstract

The effect of high multivitamin intake during pregnancy on the metabolic phenotype of rat offspring was investigated. Pregnant Wistar rats (n=10 per group) were fed the AIN-93G diet with the recommended vitamin (RV) content or a 10-fold increase [high vitamin (HV) content]. In experiment 1, male and female offspring were followed for 12 wk after weaning; in experiment 2, only males were followed for 28 wk. Body weight (BW) was measured weekly. Every 4 wk, after an overnight fast, food intake over 1 h was measured 30 min after a gavage of glucose or water. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed every 3-5 wk. Postweaning fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide-1, and systolic blood pressure were measured. No difference in BW at birth or litter size was observed. Food intake was greater in males born to HV dams (P<0.05), and at 28 wk after weaning, BW was 8% higher (P<0.05) and fat pad mass was 27% higher (P<0.05). Food intake reduction after the glucose preload was nearly twofold less in males born to HV dams at 12 wk after weaning (P<0.05). Fasting glucose, insulin, and ghrelin were 11%, 62%, and 41% higher in males from HV dams at 14 wk after weaning (P<0.05). Blood glucose response was 46% higher at 23 wk after weaning (P<0.01), and systolic blood pressure was 16% higher at 28 wk after weaning (P<0.05). In conclusion, high multivitamin intake during pregnancy programmed the male offspring for the development of the components of metabolic syndrome in adulthood, possibly by its effects on central mechanisms of food intake control.

Flaxseed + low-dose estrogen therapy provides the greatest protection against ovariectomy-induced bone loss at the lumbar vertebrae. Moreover, this study is the first to demonstrate that flaxseed, rich in alpha-linolenic acid, alters fatty acid composition in the ovariectomized rat skeleton.

In order to establish the relationship between maternal body composition indicators (fat-free mass, fat mass, total body water) and birth weight, a cross-sectional study was designed, based on 196 pairs of mothers and live singleton newborns with gestational age of 37 weeks or more. Immediately after delivery, the mothers were interviewed to obtain information about different birth weight predictors. An analysis of maternal body composition through bioelectric impedance was held. Multiple linear regression was used to measure the effect of each variable on birth weight. The birth weight mean was 3,251 ± 514 g. Maternal height was 160.44 ± 6.3 cm, total net weight gain was 5.85 ± 5.15 kg, fat mass consisted of 15.84 ± 6.72 kg, and fat-free mass was 50.42 ± 7.65 kg; total body water was 34.82 ± 5.61 liters. The model which included total body water and all predictors found to be associated with birth weight in the bivariate analysis (maternal age, gestational age, gender, placenta weight, and placenta weight squared) was found to be the best in explaining the variability of birth weight (R² = 45.26%). Fat mass was an important predictor only in the subgroup of women within the low tertile of body mass index. In conclusion, fat-free mass and total body water explained a major proportion of the variability of birth weight in comparison with the mother’s weight gain during the pregnancy period, which has already been considered an important predictor of birth weight.