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Published on: November 16, 2011
Perinatal feedings adversely affect lipogenic activities but not glucose handling in adult rats
1Department of Physiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Insights
Early nutrition impacts long-term fat storage. Overfeeding young rats permanently increased fat cell activity, leading to heavier adults, while temporary glucose metabolism changes resolved by adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Metabolic Research
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Early life nutrition significantly influences long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding the effects of nutritional extremes during development is crucial for preventing metabolic disorders.
- Fat cell lipogenesis and glucose metabolism are key indicators of metabolic health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the lasting effects of early under- and overfeeding on glucose metabolism.
- To examine the long-term impact on fat cell lipogenesis in developing rats.
- To determine if early nutritional programming has permanent effects on metabolic parameters.
Main Methods:
- Newborn rats were raised in litters of varying sizes (4, 10, 16 pups) to manipulate milk intake.
- Groups were studied at 20 days (suckling) and 12 weeks (adulthood) after weaning.
- Measurements included body weight, adipose tissue and carcass fat content, lipogenic enzyme activity, and glucose-insulin dynamics.
Main Results:
- Overfeeding during suckling led to increased adiposity and enhanced fatty acid synthase and lipogenic activities in adipose tissue at weaning and adulthood.
- Temporary differences in plasma insulin and glucose levels were observed at 20 days but normalized by 12 weeks.
- Food intake per gram of body weight did not differ among groups.
Conclusions:
- Early overfeeding permanently enhances lipogenic capacity in adipose tissue, resulting in increased fat accumulation in adult rats.
- Nutritional extremes during the suckling period appear to affect the glucose-insulin axis only temporarily.
- Nutritional programming in early life has distinct long-term effects on fat metabolism versus glucose regulation.
Abstract:
The long-term effects of early under- and overfeeding on glucose metabolism and fat cell lipogenesis were studied. Newborn rats were reared in litter sizes of four, 10, and 16 pups. The amount of milk intake per pup varied inversely with litter sizes. A subgroup of pups from each group was studied at age 20 d, whereas another subgroup was weaned to an ad libitum feeding of standard rat chow and studied at 12 wk of age. There were no differences among groups in food intake on the basis of per gram body weight. Overfeeding during suckling resulted in fatter rats at weaning and in the adults. The higher fat contents in the adipose tissues and carcasses were associated with higher fatty acid synthase and lipogenic activities in the adipose tissues at weaning and 12 wk of age. Differences in plasma insulin and glucose levels among groups were observed only in the 20-d-old rats: basal insulin and glucose levels and 30-min postglucose insulin levels were highest in the overnourished and lowest in the undernourished rats. However, by 12 wk of age, there were no significant differences among groups in their basal insulin and glucose levels and after an oral dose of glucose. Our results suggest that overfeeding or underfeeding during the suckling period affects the glucose-insulin axis only temporarily and not permanently, but early overfeeding permanently enhances fatty acid synthase and lipogenic activities in adipose tissues, resulting in fatter adult rats.
