Maternal high-fat diet: effects on offspring bone structure
S A Lanham1, C Roberts, T Hollingworth
1Bone and Joint Research Group, Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Division, Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton School of Medicine, Southampton, SO16 6YD, UK. S.A.Lanham@soton.ac.uk
Insights
Maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy alters offspring bone structure and increases marrow adiposity. This suggests in utero nutrition programs skeletal development and has consequences later in life.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Skeletal biology
- Nutritional science
Background:
- Peak bone mass is influenced by early life nutrition.
- Intrauterine and early postnatal environments may program skeletal development.
- Maternal diet during gestation is a critical factor in fetal programming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that peak bone mass has a fetal origin.
- To examine the effects of maternal high-fat diet on offspring bone development in a mouse model.
- To determine if in utero nutrition programming impacts skeletal structure and adiposity.
Main Methods:
- Mouse dams were fed either a standard chow or a high-fat diet throughout gestation and lactation.
- Offspring were maintained on a high-fat diet until adulthood (30 weeks).
- Femur samples were analyzed for bone structure, adiposity, and strength.
Main Results:
- Offspring from dams fed a high-fat diet exhibited increased femur adiposity compared to controls.
- Female offspring from high-fat diet dams showed altered trabecular bone structure.
- These structural changes indicate programming due to in utero nutrition.
Conclusions:
- Maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy leads to increased bone marrow adiposity in offspring.
- In utero exposure to a high-fat diet alters offspring bone structure.
- Maternal nutrition during pregnancy has lasting effects on offspring skeletal development.
Unlabelled:
Peak bone mass is believed to partly be programmed in utero. Mouse dams and offspring were given a high-fat diet and offspring studied as adults. Female offspring from high-fat dams exhibited altered trabecular structure indicative of in utero programming. In utero nutrition has consequences in later life.
Introduction:
Epidemiological studies suggest that skeletal growth is programmed during intrauterine and early postnatal life. We hypothesise that development of optimal peak bone mass has, in part, a foetal origin and investigated this using a mouse model of maternal dietary fat excess.
Methods:
Offspring from mouse dams fed either standard chow (C) or lifetime high-fat diet (HF) were maintained on a HF diet to adulthood. Femur samples were taken at 30 weeks of age and bone structure, adiposity and strength analysed. Sample sizes were four to six for each sex and each diet group.
Results:
Offspring from HF-fed dams showed increased adiposity in the femur in comparison to offspring from C-fed dams. Female offspring from HF dams exhibited altered trabecular structure indicative of in utero programming.
Conclusions:
A maternal HF diet during pregnancy increases bone marrow adiposity and alters bone structure in their offspring.
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