Cafeteria diet during the gestation period programs developmental and behavioral courses in the offspring

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exposure to maternal consumption of a hyperenergetic, highly palatable diet, known as the cafeteria diet, during the gestation period on the development and behavior of offspring. For this, we used pregnant female mice that were fed a normal or a cafeteria diet during the gestation period. The evaluation of maternal behavior in lactating dams was performed from the second to the eighth day postpartum (PND 2-8). Weight gain, feed intake, and energy intake were recorded during the gestation period. In the offspring, reflex parameters and physical development were evaluated during the lactation period and when they reached adolescence. Behavioral performance was evaluated in light-dark, open-field, and play behavior tests. In addition, biochemical parameters of the dams and the adolescent offspring were evaluated. The cafeteria diet during gestation altered maternal behavior and the onset of physical and neurodevelopmental landmarks and had an impact on emotional and play behavior in adolescent offspring. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that exposure to maternal consumption of a cafeteria diet during the gestation period can program developmental and behavioral courses in the offspring.

Maternal Consumption of a Diet Rich in Maillard Reaction Products Accelerates Neurodevelopment in F1 and Sex-Dependently Affects Behavioral Phenotype in F2 Rat Offspring

“…While in rodents maternal high-fat or cafeteria diets postpone manifestation of physiological reflexes in F1 offspring [46,76], AGE-RD in F0 generation associated with their earlier manifestation [77]. In the current study, an earlier manifestation of reflexes was less frequent in F2 than in F1 generation.…”

“…In F1 rats, maternal intake of a high-fat diet during pregnancy associated with a delay in auditory conduit opening and incisors eruption if compared with offspring of dams on a standard diet; while intervention restricted to lactation period resulted also in a delay of ear unfolding and eye opening [76]. In mice, maternal intake of cafeteria diet during pregnancy associated with a delayed incisor eruption, eye opening, and palmar grasp [46]. Delay in some features of physical maturation in offspring of dams consuming a Western type diet is probably independent of maternal obesity, as the delay was documented both in the absence [76], as well as in presence, of excessive maternal gestational weight gain [46].…”

“…In mice, maternal intake of cafeteria diet during pregnancy associated with a delayed incisor eruption, eye opening, and palmar grasp [46]. Delay in some features of physical maturation in offspring of dams consuming a Western type diet is probably independent of maternal obesity, as the delay was documented both in the absence [76], as well as in presence, of excessive maternal gestational weight gain [46]. In contrast to these data, but in accordance with the present experiment, our former study in mice fed AGE-RD (75% standard chow:25% bread crusts) during pregnancy showed that somatic development of offspring did not differ from that of control feed consuming dams [77].…”

“…Grooming, licking, nursing, and skin-to-skin contact are important mother-pup interactions, which might modulate early development and later behavioral phenotype of offspring. Two studies which followed maternal behavior showed that dams consuming cafeteria diet spent longer time licking, nursing, or feeding their offspring [46,51]. Interestingly, their offspring manifested delayed physical and neurobehavioral development [46], higher locomotor activity [51] and lower anxiety [46,51] compared with offspring of dams consuming control chow.…”

“…Maternal obesity or excess gestational weight gain increase, among others, the risk of offspring to manifest neurodevelopmental, neurological and psychiatric disorders [36,37,38,39]. Experimental studies documented that maternal obesity (induced preconceptionally, during pregnancy and lactation via consumption of Western diets, e.g., high-fat, high-fat high-sugar, or cafeteria diet) might impair early physical and neurobehavioral development of offspring, and memory or behavioral traits in later life, independently from the diet consumed by progeny [40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47]. Importantly, if Western type diets were not sufficient to induce obesity in dams or sows, the offspring presented better cognitive performance and memory compared with offspring of those fed control chow [48,49,50].…”