Effects of Maternal Flaxseed Supplementation on Female Offspring of Diabetic Rats in Serum Concentration of Glucose, Insulin, and Thyroid Hormones

Abstract

Abstract. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of maternal consumption of flaxseed flour and oil on serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, and thyroid hormones of the adult female offspring of diabetic rats. Methods: Wistar rats were induced to diabetes by a high-fat diet (60%) and streptozotocin (35 mg/kg). Rats were mated and once pregnancy was confirmed, were divided into the following groups: Control Group (CG): casein-based diet; High-fat Group (HG): high-fat diet (49%); High-fat Flaxseed Group (HFG): high-fat diet supplemented with 25% flaxseed flour; High-fat Flaxseed Oil group (HOG): high-fat diet, where soya oil was replaced with flaxseed oil. After weaning, female pups (n = 6) from each group were separated, received a commercial rat diet and were sacrificed after 180 days. Serum insulin concentrations were determined by ELISA, the levels of triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were determined by chemiluminescence. Results: There was a significant reduction in body weight at weaning in HG (−31%), HFG (−33%) and HOG (44%) compared to CG (p = 0.002), which became similar by the end of 180 days. Blood glucose levels were reduced in HFG (−10%, p = 0.044) when compared to CG, and there was no significant difference between groups in relation to insulin, T3, T4, and TSH after 180 days. Conclusions: Maternal severe hyperglycemia during pregnancy and lactation resulted in a microsomal offspring. Maternal consumption of flaxseed reduces blood glucose levels in adult offspring without significant effects on insulin levels and thyroid hormones.

Early-life dietary exposures mediate persistent shifts in the gut microbiome and visceral fat metabolism

“…Our results indicate that alteration of the n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio by addition of flaxseed oil to a Lard OID (Flaxseed OID) is protective against this effect. This result corroborates an existing study in which female offspring of HFD and streptozocin-induced diabetic rat dams fed a high flaxseed oil diet had reduced fasting blood glucose compared with daughters of diabetic mothers consuming a control diet or HFD ( 38 ).…”

“…In addition, an investigation using a Wistar rat model reported that maternal OID consumption is associated with accelerated offspring metabolic aging in all offspring but is differentially regulated in males and females ( 34 ). The maternal consumption of flaxseed had sexually dimorphic effects in rat offspring, including differences in glucose metabolism, pancreatic cellular morphology, and aortic remodeling ( 35 – 38 ). In a study using SM/J mice exposed to maternal HFD or LFD and then weaned onto either HFD or LFD, female HFD-fed offspring of HFD-fed mothers had an exacerbated response to their diets and quickly gained more weight and adipose tissue than other groups ( 39 ).…”