High-fat feeding of different fats during pregnancy and lactation in rats: Effects on maternal metabolism, pregnancy outcome, milk and tissue fatty acid profiles

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the effects of consumption of different fats during pregnancy and lactation on maternal metabolism, pregnancy outcome, and milk and tissue fatty acid (FA) profiles. Wistar rats were divided into three groups according to dietary fat source: PM (40% crude palm oil), n = 7; SB (40% soybean oil), n = 7; and VS (40% partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening), n = 8. Rats were fed experimental diets from day 1 of pregnancy to sacrifice, which was one week after weaning of pups (21d). Milk was expressed from dams on day 14 of lactation. PM, SB and VS milk samples had the same fat content and had FA profiles similar to that of their respective diets. SB and VS dams had significantly more pups dead at birth compared to PM dams. One week after weaning of pups, PM dams had significantly higher triglyceride levels compared to all other groups (PM = 2.08 ± 0.27 mmol/L; SB = 0.88 ± 0.10 mmol/L; VS = 0.78 ± 0.08 mmol/L, p<0.05). PM dams may have slower triglyceride clearance, making hypertriglyceridemia apparent post-weaning. Retroperitoneal adipose tissue and carcass FA profiles of dams positively reflected the FA content of the respective diets. Such influence of diet on milk, adipose tissue and carcass FA content may thus alter metabolic processes during and following pregnancy and lactation and may also affect offspring growth and development via differences in milk composition.