Increased risk of insulin resistance in rat offsprings exposed prenatally to white rice

Abstract

White rice (WR) is a major staple food for people in developing countries and it may be responsible for the growing incidence of type 2 diabetes. Nonpregnant Female Sprague Dawley rats fed with WR or brown rice (BR) for 8 weeks were mated with age-matched male rats maintained on normal pellet over the same period. Offsprings were fed normal pellet after weaning until 8 weeks postdelivery. Rats fed with WR and their offsprings showed worsened oral glucose tolerance test, lower serum adiponectin levels, and higher weights, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, serum retinol binding protein-4 levels, and leptin levels, compared with the normal and BR groups, suggesting an increased risk of insulin resistance. Furthermore, transcriptional levels of genes involved in insulin signaling showed different expression patterns in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissues of mothers and offsprings in both WR and BR groups. The results propose that the cycle of WR-induced insulin resistance in offsprings due to prenatal exposure, followed by their consumption of WR later in life may contribute to diabetes incidents. These findings are worth studying further.

In utero Exposure to Germinated Brown Rice and Its GABA Extract Attenuates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Insulin Resistance in Rat Offspring

“…In this study, consumption of GBR and GABA produced significant changes that indicated a favorable priming of the gene of GBR and GABA in rat offspring with a tendency towards improved insulin sensitivity, suggesting that intrauterine exposure to GBR and GABA triggered changes that favored energy balance and body weight homeostasis [9], resulting in lower weight gain compared to that with an HFD. Moreover, a similar effect was observed in rat offspring that were exposed to brown rice during pregnancy and lactation [5], and since GBR has superior nutritional value, it was expected to produce similar outcomes.…”

“…Moreover, we have demonstrated previously that white rice consumption by dams caused metabolic perturbations that were transmitted to the rat offspring [5]. In this study, consumption of GBR and GABA produced significant changes that indicated a favorable priming of the gene of GBR and GABA in rat offspring with a tendency towards improved insulin sensitivity, suggesting that intrauterine exposure to GBR and GABA triggered changes that favored energy balance and body weight homeostasis [9], resulting in lower weight gain compared to that with an HFD.…”

“…Hence, there has been a rise in the demand for natural or minimally processed products that have few synthetic additives and do not pose significant risks of chronic diseases. In this regard, consumption of GBR, which is a minimally processed product that is safe, will potentially produce better health outcomes than does white rice [5], not only for consumers but also for their offspring.…”

“…About half of the world's population consumes white rice despite studies showing it has a high glycemic index as well as contributing to the risk of T2D not only in mothers but also in their offspring [5]. In fact, we recently hypothesized that white rice may be contributing to the increasing burden of T2D in rice-consuming nations, since the burden of the disease is expected to predominate in those regions in the near future.…”

The Impact of Traditional Food and Lifestyle Behavior on Epigenetic Burden of Chronic Disease

“…Hypomethylation of the adipose tissue promoters of Tlr1, Tlr2, and linker for activation of T cells Mice Embryonic Cited2 deletion + Maternal high fat diet [197] Increased penetrance of cited2-induced defects including cardiac malformation, adrenal agenesis, and other defects Decreased expression (mRNA) of Pitx2c in Cited2-deficient embryos Macaque Maternal high fat diet [190,191,193] Increased hepatic Npas2 expression (mRNA) [226] Worsened glucose tolerance…”