DHA Supplementation of Obese Rats throughout Pregnancy and Lactation Modifies Milk Composition and Anxiety Behavior of Offspring

Abstract

We investigated if supplementing obese mothers (MO) with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) improves milk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LCPUFA) composition and offspring anxiety behavior. From weaning throughout pregnancy and lactation, female Wistar rats ate chow (C) or a high-fat diet (MO). One month before mating and through lactation, half the mothers received 400 mg DHA kg−1 d−1 orally (C+DHA or MO+DHA). Offspring ate C after weaning. Maternal weight, total body fat, milk hormones, and milk nutrient composition were determined. Pups’ milk nutrient intake was evaluated, and behavioral anxiety tests were conducted. MO exhibited increased weight and total fat, and higher milk corticosterone, leptin, linoleic, and arachidonic acid (AA) concentrations, and less DHA content. MO male and female offspring had higher ω-6/ ω-3 milk consumption ratios. In the elevated plus maze, female but not male MO offspring exhibited more anxiety. MO+DHA mothers exhibited lower weight, total fat, milk leptin, and AA concentrations, and enhanced milk DHA. MO+DHA offspring had a lower ω-6/ω-3 milk intake ratio and reduced anxiety vs. MO. DHA content was greater in C+DHA milk vs. C. Supplementing MO mothers with DHA improves milk composition, especially LCPUFA content and ω-6/ω-3 ratio reducing offspring anxiety in a sex-dependent manner.

Long-chainn-3 PUFA given before and throughout gestation and lactation in rats prevent high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance in male offspring in a tissue-specific manner

“…At weaning, the higher leptin plasma concentrations in HF than in C offspring have been previously reported (52) ; it can be related to a higher fat mass and/or higher milk leptin concentrations (53)(54)(55) . Even though HFn-3 male offspring display similar body weight as C male offspring, leptin plasma levels of HFn-3 male offspring were lower than that of HF male offspring, but higher than that of C male offspring.…”

“…Even though HFn-3 male offspring display similar body weight as C male offspring, leptin plasma levels of HFn-3 male offspring were lower than that of HF male offspring, but higher than that of C male offspring. This could be explained by a lower fat mass (49) and/or leptin concentrations in milk (55) and/or expression in AT (44,57) . In addition to a higher body weight, at weaning, male offspring from HF dams had higher glycemic and insulinemic responses to OGTT reflecting both glucose intolerance and IR as reported in mice (47) .…”

Programming Mechanism of Adipose Tissue Expansion in the Rat Offspring of Obese Mothers Occurs in a Sex-Specific Manner

“…Statistically significant differences were defined as p < 0.05. F1C male and female body weight and adipose tissue mass, which are basic and well-characterized biologically meaningful endpoints, were analyzed by a one-sided t -test and were different ( p < 0.05); therefore, the sexes were analyzed separately [ 31 ].…”

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) Seeds Intake Increases Energy Expenditure and Reduces Fat Mass in Mice by Modulating Neural Circuits That Regulate Adipose Tissue Lipolysis and Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism in Liver and Skeletal Muscle

“…Corticosterone and triiodothyronine (T 3 ) concentrations in plasma were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using commercial mouse kits from DRG International, Inc. (Springfield Township, NJ, USA) and Thermo Fisher Scientific (Waltham, MA, USA) as described in [ 54 ]. Each sample was measured in duplicate.…”