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Maternal and postnatal high-fat diet consumption programs energy balance and hypothalamic melanocortin signaling in
Elinor L Sullivan1,2, Heidi M Rivera3, Cadence A True3
1Division of Neuroscience, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon.
Insights
Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy impacts offspring development. Both maternal and early postnatal HFD exposure disrupt offspring body weight regulation and hypothalamic melanocortin systems, increasing obesity risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy affects fetal development and hypothalamic melanocortin neural circuitry in nonhuman primates.
- The persistence of these impairments into juvenile offspring and the interaction with postnatal HFD require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if maternal HFD-induced impairments persist in juvenile offspring.
- To examine the combined effects of maternal and early postnatal HFD consumption on offspring development and energy balance regulation.
Main Methods:
- Adult female nonhuman primates consumed either a control diet (CTR) or HFD during pregnancy.
- Offspring were weaned onto CTR or HFD at approximately 8 months of age.
- Offspring body weight, food intake, activity levels, and hypothalamic agouti-related peptide (AgRP) fiber density were assessed.
Main Results:
- Offspring born to HFD-fed dams exhibited catch-up growth and elevated body weight at juvenile ages.
- Both maternal and postnatal HFD exposure reduced AgRP fibers in the paraventricular nucleus.
- Postnatal HFD consumption decreased AgRP fibers in the arcuate nucleus, reduced food intake, and increased activity.
Conclusions:
- Maternal HFD consumption increases offspring obesity risk, with developmental timing of HFD exposure differentially impacting the melanocortin system and energy balance.
- These findings reveal, for the first time in a nonhuman primate model, that maternal HFD-induced disturbances in offspring body weight regulation extend past gestation into the juvenile period.
- The study provides translational insights into human health, suggesting long-term consequences of intrauterine and postnatal HFD exposure.
Abstract:
Maternal high-fat-diet (HFD) consumption during pregnancy decreased fetal body weight and impacted development of hypothalamic melanocortin neural circuitry in nonhuman primate offspring. We investigated whether these impairments during gestation persisted in juvenile offspring and examined the interaction between maternal and early postnatal HFD consumption. Adult dams consumed either a control diet (CTR; 15% calories from fat) or a high-saturated-fat diet (HFD; 37% calories from fat) during pregnancy. Offspring were weaned onto a CTR or HFD at ~8 mo of age. Offspring from HFD-fed dams displayed early catch-up growth and elevated body weight at 6 and 13 mo of age. Maternal and postnatal HFD exposure reduced the amount of agouti-related peptide fibers in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Postnatal HFD consumption also decreased the amount of agouti-related peptide fibers in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Postnatal HFD was associated with decreased food intake and increased activity. These results support and extend our previous findings of maternal diet effects on fetal development and reveal, for the first time in a nonhuman primate model, that maternal HFD-induced disturbances in offspring body weight regulation extended past gestation into the juvenile period. Maternal HFD consumption increases the risk for offspring developing obesity, with the developmental timing of HFD exposure differentially impacting the melanocortin system and energy balance regulation. The present findings provide translational insight into human clinical populations, suggesting that profound health consequences may await individuals later in life following intrauterine and postnatal HFD exposure.