Maternal obesity is necessary for programming effect of high-fat diet on offspring

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Metabolic disorders
• Developmental origins of health and disease

Background:

• Maternal diet during gestation and lactation influences offspring metabolic health.
• The independent roles of maternal obesity and dietary fat intake in offspring predisposition to obesity are not fully elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether maternal high-fat (HF) diet consumption, independent of obesity, increases serum leptin in neonatal pups.
• To determine if maternal obesity predisposes offspring to adult obesity.

Main Methods:

• Female rats were fed either a high-fat (HF) diet, a low-fat (LF) diet, or an HF diet but pair-fed (PF) to match LF caloric intake.
• Offspring body weight, body fat, serum leptin, and insulin tolerance were assessed at weaning and at 18 weeks of age.
• Offspring were subsequently fed either HF or LF diets from 8 to 18 weeks of age.

Main Results:

• Offspring born to obese dams exhibited higher body fat, elevated serum leptin, and reduced insulin tolerance at weaning.
• At 18 weeks, offspring from obese dams weighed significantly more, irrespective of their own adult diet.
• Offspring consuming an HF diet weighed more than those on an LF diet, but maternal obesity had a comparable effect on offspring weight.

Conclusions:

• Maternal adiposity, rather than dietary fat per se, is a key driver of hyperleptinemia, insulin resistance, and increased adult body weight in offspring.
• Maternal obesity exerts an independent and significant influence on offspring's long-term body weight regulation.
• These findings highlight the critical role of maternal metabolic status in programming offspring for metabolic health or disease.