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Maternal diet high in fat reduces docosahexaenoic acid in liver lipids of newborn and sucking rat pups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

K. Ghebremeskel ,
D. Bitsanis ,
E. Koukkou ,
C. Lowy ,
L. Poston  and
M. A. Crawford
K. Ghebremeskel
Affiliation:
Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, The University of North London, N7 8DB, UK
D. Bitsanis
Affiliation:
Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, The University of North London, N7 8DB, UK
E. Koukkou
Affiliation:
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Dental and Medical Schools, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
C. Lowy
Affiliation:
Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, United Dental and Medical Schools, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
L. Poston
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Fetal Health Research Group, United Medical and Dental Schools, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK
M. A. Crawford*
Affiliation:
Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, The University of North London, N7 8DB, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Professor M. A. Crawford, fax +44 (0)171 753 3164, email michael@macrawf.demon.co.uk
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Abstract

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The effect of a maternal diet high in fat, similar to Western foods, and of diabetes on liver essential fatty acid composition of the mother and the newborn and sucking pups was investigated. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed on either a low-fat (42 g/kg) or a high-fat (329 g/kg) diet for 10 d before mating, throughout pregnancy and post-partum. On the first day of pregnancy, diabetes was induced by intravenous administration of streptozotocin in half the animals from the two diet groups. Half the pups were killed at birth, and the remaining pups and mothers at days 15 and 16 respectively. At birth, there was a significant reduction in the proportions of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the liver phosphoglycerols and neutral lipids of the pups of both high-fat control and diabetic mothers compared with those of low-fat control and diabetic mothers. Diabetes decreased arachidonic (AA) and linoleic acid values in both the low- and high-fat groups at birth. The sucking pups of both the high-fat control and diabetic mothers exhibited a significant reduction in DHA and a concomitant compensatory increase in AA and a lowering in DHA–AA balance. In the mothers, the high-fat diet significantly increased the proportions of DHA in ethanolamine phosphoglycerols but had no observable effect in choline phosphoglycerols and neutral lipids. In the fetus the DHA level (g/100 g total fatty acids) was disproportionately reduced by the maternal high-fat diet. The adverse effect of the high-fat diet on the level of DHA (g/100 g total fatty acids) was greater in the neonate (and by implication the fetus) than in the sucking pups or mothers. It is concluded that a distortion of the biochemistry is induced in the offspring through a maternal high-fat diet, without genetic predisposition.

Keywords

Dietary fatMaternal dietFetal liver fatty acidsDocosahexaenoic acidDiabetes mellitus
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 81 , Issue 5 , May 1999 , pp. 395 - 404
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

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