Abstract
Pregnant Muslim women are exempt from fasting during Ramadan; however a majority are reported to fast. The impact of this form of maternal intermittent fasting (IF) on fetal development and offspring health is not well defined. Using a rat model, we have shown previously that maternal IF results in fetal growth restriction accompanied by changes in placental nutrient transport function. The aim of this study was to assess cardiovascular, metabolic and renal function in adult offspring of IF-exposed dams. Food was withheld from Wistar rats from 17:00 to 09:00 daily throughout pregnancy; controls had ad libitum access to food. Birth weight was unaffected; however male IF pups grew more slowly up to 10 weeks of age (P < 0.01) whereas IF females matched their control counterparts. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), glucose tolerance and basal renal function at 14 weeks were not affected by IF exposure. When offered saline solutions (0.9–2.1%) to drink, females showed a greater salt preference than males (P < 0.01); however there were no differences between dietary groups. A separate group of pups was weaned onto a 4% NaCl diet. SBP increased in IF pups sooner, at 7 weeks (P < 0.01), than controls which became hypertensive from 10 weeks. Renal function did not appear to differ; however markers of renal injury were elevated in IF males (P < 0.05). Maternal IF does not affect resting cardiovascular, metabolic and renal function; but when challenged by dietary salt load male IF offspring are more prone to renal injury.
Highlights
During the month of Ramadan, healthy adult Muslims are required to fast, abstaining from both food and drink between sunrise and sunset
We have reported recently in a systematic review of the literature that maternal fasting during Ramadan is associated with a reduction in placental weight; birth weight was not affected [2]
Statistical comparisons were by two-way ANOVA (SBP) or KruskalWallis test
Summary
The aim of this study was to assess cardiovascular, metabolic and renal function in adult offspring of IF-exposed dams. The aim of this study was to characterise postnatal growth and to assess the impact of exposure to IF on blood pressure, glucose metabolism and renal function in the adult offspring. Having shown previously that exposure to IF during pregnancy resulted in a number of changes in maternal, fetal and placental function [13], the primary aim of the current study was to establish whether the intrauterine challenge posed by IF leads to altered cardiovascular, metabolic or renal function in the offspring
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