Body Lipids of Guinea Pigs Exposed to Different Dietary Fats from Mid-Gestation to 3 Months of Age

Abstract

Pregnant guinea pigs were fed one of three diets: a commercial low-fat diet, or a high-fat diet containing maize oil or beef dripping. The young were killed at birth and the fatty acid composition of the lipids of the liver, plasma, adipose tissue, quadriceps muscle and red cell membranes was determined. Compared with those fed the commercial diet the tissues of the young of mothers fed maize oil had an increased percentage of linoleic acid whereas in those of the young of mothers fed beef dripping, the percentage of oleic acid was significantly higher. These changes occurred both in the triglycerides and in the membrane phospholipids (with the exception of sphingomyelins) of all tissues examined. These results demonstrate that the fatty acid composition of the tissue lipids of the newborn guinea pig can be influenced by the fatty acid composition of the maternal diet. Changes in the fatty acid composition of membrane phospholipids can be as great as those in storage lipids. This raises the question of long-term physiological significance for the animal.

Nutrition and neurodevelopment: mechanisms of developmental dysfunction and disease in later life

“…More than 20 years ago, it was speculated that the fatty acid composition of both the maternal and neonatal diet may have profound effects on the nature of the lipid deposited in the brain and on the structure and function of cell membranes in the central nervous system (Widdowson et al 1975). There is now clear evidence that the fatty acid composition of the newborn guinea-pig brain is in¯uenced by the nature of the maternal dietary fat (Pavey & Widdowson, 1980) and that the phospholipid composition of the cerebral cortex in babies is related to the infant's diet (Farquharson et al 1992). Moreover, a study in rats demonstrated widespread and profound deleterious effects of maternal low-protein diets on brain development and fatty acid metabolism in the young (Marin et al 1995); n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids within brain phosphatidylethanolamine were both reduced by the maternal lowprotein diet, whereas only the linoleic acid-derived products were similarly affected in the corresponding phosphatidylcholine fraction.…”