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Published on: March 13, 2014
Maternal Linoleic Acid Overconsumption Alters Offspring Gut and Adipose Tissue Homeostasis in Young but Not Older
Justine Marchix1, Charlène Alain2, Sandrine David-Le Gall2
1Laboratoire de Biochimie et Nutrition Humaine, Agrocampus Ouest, 35000 Rennes, France.
Insights
Maternal high linoleic acid (LA) diets during pregnancy can program offspring for obesity. Diet changes at weaning alter gut health and fat tissue, especially in older offspring, suggesting gut microbiota involvement.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Developmental Biology
- Metabolic Health
Background:
- Maternal n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake during gestation and lactation is linked to offspring metabolic diseases like obesity.
- The precise mechanisms of n-6 PUFA programming effects on offspring physiology remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how maternal and post-weaning diets rich in linoleic acid (LA) interact to affect the gut, adipose tissue, and liver physiology of offspring.
- To determine the impact of these dietary interactions on offspring at different adult ages (3 and 6 months).
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats were fed either a control (2% LA) or an LA-rich (12% LA) diet during gestation and lactation.
- Offspring were maintained on their maternal diet or switched to the alternate diet post-weaning, continuing for 3 or 6 months.
- Physiological assessments included gut intestinal barrier function, adipose tissue, hepatic conjugated linoleic acids, and cecal microbiota composition.
Main Results:
- At 3 months, a maternal LA-rich diet promoted low-grade inflammation and increased adiposity.
- By 6 months, the post-weaning diet significantly influenced intestinal barrier function, adipose tissue, and hepatic conjugated linoleic acids.
- Maternal LA-rich diet altered cecal microbiota at 3 months, with minimal lasting effects by 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal exposure to high LA levels can lead to differential metabolic responses to post-weaning diets in adult offspring.
- This programming effect may be mediated by alterations in the offspring's gut microbiota composition.
- Dietary interventions during critical developmental windows are crucial for mitigating metabolic disease risk.
Abstract:
Maternal n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) consumption during gestation and lactation can predispose offspring to the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity later in life. However, the mechanisms underlying the potential programming effect of n-6 PUFA upon offspring physiology are not yet all established. Herein, we investigated the effects of maternal and weaning linoleic acid (LA)-rich diet interactions on gut intestinal and adipose tissue physiology in young (3-month-old) and older (6-month-old) adult offspring. Pregnant rats were fed a control diet (2% LA) or an LA-rich diet (12% LA) during gestation and lactation. At weaning, offspring were either maintained on the maternal diet or fed the other diet for 3 or 6 months. At 3 months of age, the maternal LA-diet favored low-grade inflammation and greater adiposity, while at 6 months of age, offspring intestinal barrier function, adipose tissue physiology and hepatic conjugated linoleic acids were strongly influenced by the weaning diet. The maternal LA-diet impacted offspring cecal microbiota diversity and composition at 3 months of age, but had only few remnant effects upon cecal microbiota composition at 6 months of age. Our study suggests that perinatal exposure to high LA levels induces a differential metabolic response to weaning diet exposure in adult life. This programming effect of a maternal LA-diet may be related to the alteration of offspring gut microbiota.
