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The Use of Gas Chromatography to Analyze Compositional Changes of Fatty Acids in Rat Liver Tissue during Pregnancy
Published on: March 13, 2014
Maternal high fat diet deficient in vitamin B12 influences long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in rats
Shruti Jawale1, Anubha Pulwale1, Sadhana Joshi1
1a Department of Nutritional Medicine , Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, BharatiVidyapeeth Deemed University , Pune , India.
Objective:
In India, there is a rise in non-communicable diseases due to diets deficient in vitamin B12, low in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and increased consumption of westernized diet. The present study aims to examine the effect of maternal high fat diet (HFD) in absence of vitamin B12 on pregnancy outcome and tissue fatty acid composition in dams.
Methods:
Pregnant Wistar rats were assigned to following diets: Control (C), HFD, High fat diet supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids (HFDO), 4) High fat diet deficient in vitamin B12 (HFBD), High fat deficient in vitamin B12 supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids (HFBDO).
Results:
There was no effect on pregnancy outcome as a consequence of different dietary treatments. The levels of DHA in HFBD group were lower (p < 0.05 for both) in placenta as compared to both control and HFD groups, which were improved by omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.
Conclusion:
This data suggests that maternal HFD (using dairy fat) did not adversely affect pregnancy outcome. However, maternal HFBD reduced levels of placental DHA. This may have implications for reduced fetal brain growth and development.
