Consumption of a high‐fat diet does not potentiate the deleterious effects on lipid and protein levels and body development in rats subjected to maternal protein restriction

Abstract

Maternal undernutrition may cause injuries in several organs of the offspring, as well as lead to diseases in adulthood. Obesity and/or the consumption of a high-fat diet may also induce metabolic and cardiorespiratory diseases. We hypothesized that the consumption of a post-weaning high-fat diet would potentiate the deleterious effects of maternal protein undernutrition. This study evaluated the effects of the association of a low-protein diet during gestation and lactation with a post-weaning high-fat diet on the biochemical and ventilatory parameters of rats. Male Wistar rats from mothers who received a low-protein (9% of protein) or normoprotein diet during pregnancy and lactation received a high-fat (32% of total kilocalories from lipids) or a normal fat diet after weaning. Mass gain and somatic growth of the offspring were monitored. Also examined were biochemical chemical parameters and respiratory frequency, tidal volume (volume of air displaced in each normal respiratory cycle when extra effort is not applied), and pulmonary ventilation. Offspring from undernourished mothers presented lower birth weight (P = .0225), which remained until the end of lactation (P < .01). The rats that consumed high-fat diet and had been submitted to maternal undernutrition presented higher tidal volume when compared to the ones that consumed control diet at the 21st day of life (P ˂ .05). At 30 and 90 days, no further ventilatory changes were observed. Our data show that the consumption of a high-fat diet post-weaning did not seem to potentiate the changes induced by maternal undernutrition. K E Y W O R D Sbiochemical parameters, body patterning, high-fat diet, maternal diet, protein undernutrition, ventilatory parameters | 413 BARBOSA et Al.

Cardiometabolic Effects of Postnatal High-Fat Diet Consumption in Offspring Exposed to Maternal Protein Restriction In Utero

“…and Soliman KF., 2014 ; Szarc vel Szic et al, 2015 ). In this context, a low-protein diet (8% protein) during gestation and lactation has been associated with growth restriction, asymmetric reduction in organ growth, elevated systolic blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and increased fasting plasma insulin concentrations in most studies on rat offspring ( Ozanne and Hales, 2004 ; Costa-Silva et al, 2009 ; Falcao-Tebas et al, 2012 ; Leandro et al, 2012 ; Fidalgo et al, 2013 ; de Brito Alves et al, 2014 ; Ferreira et al, 2015 ; de Brito Alves et al, 2016 ; Paulino-Silva and Costa-Silva, 2016 ; Barbosa et al, 2020 ). However, it is known that the magnitude of the cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes is dependent on both time exposure to a protein restricted-diet ( Zohdi et al, 2012 ; Zohdi et al, 2014 ) and the growth trajectory throughout the postnatal period ( Wells, 2007 ; Wells, 2011 ).…”