Enriching the Diet In N‐3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduces Adiposity and Adipocyte Size in a Broiler Chick Model for Childhood Obesity

Abstract

Epidemiological studies suggest that enriching prenatal and perinatal diets in long‐chain omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n‐3 PUFA) may be a tool with which to reduce adiposity, improve metabolic status and reduce the risk of childhood obesity. We used broiler chickens, which rapidly deposit adipose tissue post‐hatch and share a number of metabolic features with humans, to test the hypothesis that consumption of diets enriched in LC n‐3 PUFA during the early post‐hatch period of rapid adipose development reduces adiposity. From seven to 21 days of age,Cobb500 broiler chicks (n=10/group) were fed isocaloric diets formulated using either lard (primarily saturated), corn oil (primarily monounsaturated), flaxseed oil (PUFA, enriched in alpha linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3, n‐3)), or fish oil (PUFA, enriched in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n‐3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, n‐3)), each at 8% by weight. Abdominal fat pad weight, but not body weight, was significantly (p=0.0327) lower in birds fed the fish oil diet (21.3g±5.5) than those fed lard (26.7g±5.9), but did not differ in birds fed flax and corn‐oil based diets relative to lard. Fish oil also significantly reduced abdominal adipocyte size compared to all other diets (p<0.05). Subcutaneous adipocyte size was significantly smaller in corn, flax and fish oil groups relative to lard (p<0.05). Plasma non‐esterified fatty acid levels, as a reflection of lipolysis, increased in birds fed fish oil diets as compared to lard diets (p=0.0194). Collectively, our data suggest that altering the type of fatty acids consumed during childhood may attenuate adipose deposition and adipocyte size, which could have benefits in reducing childhood obesity.