Dietary fatty acid composition during pregnancy and lactation in the rat programs growth and glucose metabolism in the offspring

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis. We investigated of the effects of fatty acid composition of the maternal diet on fetal and postnatal growth, morphology of the pancreas and glucose metabolism and muscle hexosamine concentrations in the adult offspring of rats. Methods. High-fat diets enriched with either saturated or unsaturated fatty acids were fed to female adult rats 2 weeks before mating until the end of the weaning period. After weaning, the offspring was maintained on a diet with a balanced fatty acid content. At 3 months of age, pancreatic Langerhans islet size and number were assessed by morphometric analysis and oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were carried out. Results. The unsaturated fatty acid diet showed lower birth weight and reduced postnatal weight gain. Furthermore, this group showed increased pancreatic islet numbers without affected glucose tolerance at the age of 12 weeks. The offspring of the saturated fatty acid diet group showed a reduced number of large pancreatic islets. Moreover, a faster and higher insulin response was observed after an oral glucose load in these animals. Muscle hexosamine concentrations were not different between groups. Conclusion/interpretation. Maternal diets enriched with either saturated fatty acids or unsaturated fatty acids had opposite effects on pancreatic islet development in rat offspring, with consequences for the insulin response at 12 weeks of age. Therefore, maternal dietary fatty acid composition plays a role in programming growth, pancreatic development and glucose metabolism in the offspring. [Diabetologia (2002[Diabetologia ( ) 45:1397[Diabetologia ( -1403

Gender-dependent resiliency to stressful and metabolic challenges following prenatal exposure to high-fat diet in the p66Shc−/− mouse

“…Furthermore, we found that maternal HFD results in a decreased number of pups delivered that may be due to composition of dietary fatty acids which reportedly affect fertility and induce a higher resorption number (Buckley et al, 2005). It is worth noting that similar findings have been previously reported by Flint and co-workers, in mice, and others in a different species, the rat, further corroborating the critical role played by maternal diet in such time window (Siemelink et al, 2002; Buckley et al, 2005; Flint et al, 2005). In this context, the lack of the p66 Shc gene plays a protective role, at least for selected parameters such as dam mortality and cannibalistic behavior.…”

Animal models of in utero exposure to a high fat diet: A review

“…The effect of fatty acid composition of the maternal diet on fetal and postnatal growth, and pancreas morphology was examined [78]. A HFD rich in unsaturated fat (UFA: menhaden fish oil) was associated with an increase in pancreatic islet numbers.…”

“…A HFD rich in unsaturated fat (UFA: menhaden fish oil) was associated with an increase in pancreatic islet numbers. A diet rich in saturated fat (SFA: coconut oil) was associated with a reduction in the number of large islets and a faster and more robust insulin response to a glucose load [78]. The programming effect on the pancreas alters the structure and function of islets associated with a predisposition towards glucose intolerance and diabetes.…”

miR-410 enhanced hESC-derived pancreatic endoderm transplant to alleviate gestational diabetes mellitus

“…Although sharing the usual suspect of diabetic symptoms, such as hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, overweight, elevated fat content, liver and plasma TG, FFA and leptin levels, GDM is distinct from type 2 diabetes in that GDM also affects reproductive outcome and fetal development (Lawrence et al 1989, Ishizuka et al 1999, Yamashita et al 2001, Siemelink et al 2002, Buckley et al 2005. Results from our study were consistent with reports on the same db/C GDM mouse model, with w10% increase in body weight from litters born by GDM dam, whereas miR-PE transplated GDM females gave birth to litters with body weight comparable to those from WT dam.…”

“…One reported adverse effect of GDM is fetal mal-development, in that it worsened reproductive outcome in animal model with less fetuses (Siemelink et al 2002, Buckley et al 2005. Particularly in db/C GDM mouse model, fetus weight at term was reported to increase by 5-8% (Lawrence et al 1989, Yamashita et al 2001.…”