Maternal high fat feeding results in higher fat mass and bone mineral content in weanling but not 3 month old female offspring

Abstract

Using rodent models, maternal exposure to an obesogenic diet ‐ high in fat and sucrose ‐ can have adverse effects on offspring health and may set them on a trajectory for unfavorable body composition. The objective of this study was to determine whether maternal exposure to a high fat diet results in higher fat mass and lower lean and bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in female offspring at weaning (19 days) and young adulthood (3 months). Female rats (28 days old) were fed control (C, AIN93G with 7% soybean oil by weight) or high fat diet (HF, modified AIN93G with 20% lard by weight) for 10 weeks at which time they were bred and continued on the same diet throughout gestation and lactation. Body composition in female offspring at 19 days and at 3 months of age was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. There was no significant effect of HF diet on body weight or absolute BMC, BMD, lean and fat mass at 19 days and 3 months of age. When corrected for body weight, fat mass and BMC was higher (P<0.05) while lean mass was lower (P<0.05) in 19 day old but not 3 month old offspring of mothers fed HF compared to C diet. These findings demonstrated that effects on offspring at time of weaning are not sustained when offspring consume a “healthy” diet post‐weaning. Moreover, understanding whether the higher quantity of bone mineral at PND 19 is accompanied by improved bone structure and strength requires further investigation.