Maternal high-fat diet consumption impairs exercise performance in offspring.

Area of Science:

• Metabolic and Exercise Physiology
• Developmental Nutrition

Background:

• Maternal diet during gestation and lactation significantly impacts offspring health.
• High-fat diets (HFD) are increasingly prevalent, raising concerns about long-term health consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of maternal HFD on exercise performance and energy metabolism in male offspring.
• To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying potential metabolic disturbances in offspring exposed to maternal HFD.

Main Methods:

• Mice dams were fed either a HFD or a low-fat diet (LFD) during gestation and lactation.
• Male offspring received LFD post-weaning and underwent voluntary exercise training for 28 days.
• Gene expression of key metabolic regulators (CD36, FAS, GLUT1) in skeletal muscle was analyzed.

Main Results:

• Maternal HFD consumption significantly reduced exercise performance and training efficiency in male offspring.
• Offspring body weight was not affected by maternal diet.
• Maternal HFD altered lipid and glucose metabolism, indicated by dysregulated gene expression of CD36, fatty acid synthase, and GLUT1 in skeletal muscle.

Conclusions:

• Maternal HFD intake negatively impacts offspring exercise capacity and metabolic health.
• Compromised energy metabolism in offspring skeletal muscle may underlie reduced exercise performance.
• These findings suggest a potential link between maternal HFD and increased risk of obesity in adult offspring.