Impact of graded maternal dietary fat content on offspring susceptibility to high-fat diet in mice

Objective Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) increases offspring obesity, yet the impacts of different levels of maternal dietary fat have seldom been addressed. In mice, the impact of graded maternal dietary fat on offspring adiposity and offspring's later susceptibility to HFD were assessed. Methods Lactating mice were fed diets with graded fat content from 8.3% to 66.6%. One male and one female pup from each litter were weaned onto a low-fat diet for 15 weeks. HFD (41.7%) was then introduced to half of the offspring for 12 weeks. Results Offspring body weight and adiposity were positively related to maternal dietary fat content and were higher when mothers were exposed to HFD. The maternal diet effect was nonlinear and sex dependent. A maternal dietary fat of 41.7% and above exaggerated the offspring body weight gain in males but was not significant in females. Maternal 8.3% fat and 25% fat diets led to the highest daily energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio in offspring. Offspring fed a low-fat diet had higher daily energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio than those fed an HFD. Conclusions Increasing maternal dietary fat during lactation, and HFD in later life, had significant and interacting impacts on offspring obesity. Maternal diet had a bigger impact on male offspring. The effects of maternal dietary fat content were nonlinear.

Automated summary

The study found that maternal dietary fat content was positively related to offspring body weight and adiposity, with offspring of mothers exposed to HFD having higher levels. The effects of different levels of maternal dietary fat on offspring were nonlinear and sex dependent. Offspring of mothers on 8.3% and 25% fat diets had the highest daily energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratio.