Abstract
Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance, with recommendations from health associations and regulatory bodies for limiting caffeine consumption during pregnancy being increasingly common. Prenatal exposure to caffeine has been shown to increase the risk of developing abnormalities in lipid metabolism in adult life. We further investigated the effect of prenatal caffeine exposure (PCE) (20 mg/kg of body weight) on the metabolic “reserve” of male Sprague Dawley offspring fed on a high fructose diet in adult life. Male adult PCE offspring were assigned to four groups; Nw and Nf: offspring of control mothers (N group of mothers), having received tap water or high fructose water respectively; Cw and Cf: offspring exposed to caffeine during gestation (C group of mothers) and receiving tap water or a high fructose water solution, respectively.Cf rats presented increased serum triglyceride level, as well as raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, together with extensive renal tissue oedema in adulthood, compared to the other groups (p<0.05 for all comparisons). These findings show further evidence for potential detrimental metabolic effects of prenatal caffeine exposure during adulthood in this animal model.
Highlights
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances throughout the world
We further investigated the effect of prenatal caffeine exposure (PCE) (20 mg/kg of body weight) on the metabolic “reserve” of male Sprague Dawley offspring fed on a high fructose diet in adult life
Animal studies have shown that oral administration of caffeine (5 mg/kg of body weight) can increase lipolysis via catecholamine release, and rats fed on a diet with 0.05% caffeine for three or four weeks showed reduced body fat percentage [6,7]
Summary
Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances throughout the world. The half-life of caffeine is, on average, 8.3h longer and maybe as much as 16h longer than usual, while in newborns is estimated to be between 65h and 130h [3]. Pregnant women are usually permitted to consume a moderate dose of caffeine (< 200 mg/d), as it does not appear to increase the risk of miscarriage, congenital malformations, or affect the fetal growth rate [4]. Smaller doses of caffeine (0.005% of food or 0.5 g/kg of food) for eight weeks decreased body fat and systolic blood pressure and improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity after a high-carbohydrate and high-fat diet [8]. Caffeine intake (1 g/L) for 15 days restored insulin sensitivity and reversed hyperglycemia and hypertension in rats, which consumed a high sucrose diet [9]
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