Abstract
Maternal obesity results in a number of obstetrical and fetal complications with both immediate and long-term consequences. The increased prevalence of obesity has resulted in increasing numbers of women of reproductive age in this high-risk group. Since many of these obese women have been subjected to hypercaloric diets from early childhood we have developed a rodent model of life-long maternal obesity to more clearly understand the mechanisms that contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes in obese women. Female Sprague Dawley rats were fed a control diet (CON - 16% of calories from fat) or high fat diet (HF - 45% of calories from fat) from 3 to 19 weeks of age. Prior to pregnancy HF-fed dams exhibited significant increases in body fat, serum leptin and triglycerides. A subset of dams was sacrificed at gestational day 15 to evaluate fetal and placental development. The remaining animals were allowed to deliver normally. HF-fed dams exhibited a more than 3-fold increase in fetal death and decreased neonatal survival. These outcomes were associated with altered vascular development in the placenta, as well as increased hypoxia in the labyrinth. We propose that the altered placental vasculature may result in reduced oxygenation of the fetal tissues contributing to premature demise and poor neonatal survival.
Highlights
Data from the Centre for Disease Control indicate that in 2008, almost 20% of children between ages 6–11 were considered obese, and many of the females in this group are likely to remain obese through their childbearing years [1]
Pre-gravid obesity contributes to reduced fertility in women [6,11,12]. This may be due to disruptions in oocyte function [13] or a chronic state of inflammation associated with obesity [14], which may contribute to impaired implantation of the blastocyst [15]
high fat (HF)-diet results in increases in the biomarkers associated with obesity
Summary
Data from the Centre for Disease Control indicate that in 2008, almost 20% of children between ages 6–11 were considered obese, and many of the females in this group are likely to remain obese through their childbearing years [1]. Epidemiological studies report that 15–20% of women of reproductive age in Canada, US, Australia and the UK are clinically obese (BMI. kg/m2) [2,3,4]. There is compelling evidence that obese women are at increased risk for many pregnancy-related complications to their own health, such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia [5,6,7]. Pre-gravid obesity contributes to reduced fertility in women [6,11,12]. This may be due to disruptions in oocyte function [13] or a chronic state of inflammation associated with obesity [14], which may contribute to impaired implantation of the blastocyst [15]
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