Fructose consumption in pregnancy and associations with maternal and offspring hepatic and whole-body adiposity in rodents: a scoping review.

Abstract

BackgroundExcess fructose consumption has been linked to adverse metabolic health, including impaired hepatic function and increased adiposity. The early life period, including preconceptionally, pregnancy and the newborn period, are critical periods in determining later metabolic health. However, the impact of excess fructose intake during this time on maternal, fetal, and offspring hepatic and whole-body adiposity, are ill defined. ObjectivesTo understand the effects of maternal fructose consumption pre- and during pregnancy on maternal, fetal and offspring hepatic and whole-body adiposity. MethodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL was performed up to October 4, 2024, to identify animal and human studies that focused on maternal fructose consumption pre- and during pregnancy on hepatic and whole-body adiposity in the mother, fetus, and offspring. Citations, abstracts, and full texts were screened in duplicate. Hepatic adiposity was defined as elevated hepatic triglycerides or overall hepatic lipid accumulation. Whole-body adiposity was defined as increased adipose tissue, serum lipids or adipocyte hypertrophy. ResultsAfter screening 2538 citations, 37 experimental rodent studies reporting maternal fructose consumption pre- and during pregnancy in rodents were included. No human studies met inclusion criteria. Prenatal fructose exposure was associated with maternal (9 out of 12) and offspring (7 out of 11) whole-body adiposity. A high proportion of studies (14 out of 15) supported the association between fructose during pregnancy and increased maternal hepatic adiposity. Fetal hepatic adiposity and elevated expression of hepatic lipogenic proteins were noted in four studies. Offspring hepatic adiposity was supported in 16 of the 20 articles that discussed hepatic results, with five studies demonstrating more severe effects in female offspring. ConclusionsFructose consumption during pregnancy in rodent models is associated with maternal, fetal, and offspring hepatic and whole-body adiposity with underlying sex-specific effects. No human studies met the inclusion criteria. Registration numberH8F26 on Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/H8F26)