TITLE:
F1 Offspring of (F0) Female Rats Fed a High-Saturated Fat, Prenatal/Lactation Diet Remain Insulin Resistant Despite Postnatal Diet Rich in Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids
AUTHORS:
Julie J. Kachinski, Hongbin Jin, Daniel C. Benyshek
KEYWORDS:
Developmental Origins, Omega-3 LC-PUFAs, Insulin Resistance, Animal Modelling
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases,
Vol.4 No.12,
December
29,
2014
ABSTRACT: Prior research has shown adult diets rich in omega-3 long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 LC-PUFAs) can improve adult metabolic
health. Previous studies have also shown maternal overnutrition during
pregnancy/lactation adversely affects metabolic functioning in adult offspring.
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the interaction of these
two metabolism regulating factors by assessing the effectiveness of a
postweaning diet rich in omega-3 long chain-polyunsaturated fatty acids
(omega-3 LC-PUFAs) to improve metabolic function in adult offspring whose
mothers were fed a high-saturated fat “Western” diet during
pregnancy/lactation. We compared metabolic function between offspring of three
prenatal-lactation/postweaning diet lines of Sprague-Dawley rats: 1) offspring
of mothers fed a high-saturated fat “Western” diet during pregnancy-lactation,
then weaned to a high omega-3 LC-PUFA diet (Western/PUFA); 2) offspring of
mothers fed a control diet during pregnancy-lactation, then weaned to a high
omega-3 LC-PUFA diet (Control/PUFA); and 3) offspring of mothers fed a Western
diet during pregnancylactation, and postweaning (Western/Western). Fasting
plasma insulin, triglycerides, and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) of Western/PUFA
animals were intermediate to those of Western/Western and Control/PUFA
offspring, although these differences did not reach statistical significance.
This suggests the metabolic benefits of an omega-3 LC-PUFA-rich diet are
insufficient to overcome the deleterious effects of a high-saturated fat
prenatal-lactation diet.