Maternal brown rice diet alleviates adverse effects of maternal obesity on offspring metabolism via enhancing DNA demethylation of AdipoR2

Abstract

The prevalence of maternal obesity is increasing at an alarming rate, with maternal insufficient circulating adiponectin being identified as a crucial link to offspring metabolic disorders. Nutritional interventions during pregnancy have shown promise in mitigating the negative impacts of maternal obesity on offspring health. It is recommended that pregnant women with chronic metabolic diseases increase their consumption of whole grains such as brown rice. However, the specific mechanism through which brown rice consumption by obese pregnant women improves metabolic homeostasis in their offspring remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of a brown rice diet during pregnancy on the metabolic homeostasis of offspring exposed to maternal obesity. We found that the systemic energy metabolism homeostasis and the risk of obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD) in the offspring of obese mothers were altered by the maternal brown rice diet during pregnancy, including reducing systemic and hepatic lipid levels, improving insulin resistance, and protecting hepatic steatosis. Mechanistically, the maternal brown rice diet induced DNA methylation reprogramming in the livers of offspring mice, resulting in enhanced demethylation of the adiponectin receptor AdipoR2 and increased transcription of AdipoR2 mRNA. Adiponectin binding to AdipoR2, regulated hepatic lipid metabolism through AMPKα and PPARα-mediated pathways, effectively ameliorating metabolic disorders in offspring of obese mothers. Our study provides novel insights into combating obesity risk and lays the groundwork for further exploration of the physiological benefits of whole grain brown rice.