Abstract
The incidence of obesity in women of reproductive age has significantly increased over the past 100 years. There is a well-established connection between maternal obesity during pregnancy and an increased risk of developing non-communicable cardiometabolic diseases in her offspring. This mini-review focuses on evidence examining the effect of maternal high-fat diet (HFD) on skeletal development and bone health in later life in offspring. The majority of rodent studies indicate that maternal HFD generally negatively affects both embryonic bone development and bone volume in adult animals. Details surrounding the mechanisms of action that drive changes in the skeleton in offspring remain unclear, although numerous studies suggest that some effects are sex-specific. Human studies in this area are limited but also suggest that HFD during pregnancy may impair bone formation and increase fracture risk during childhood. Given the consequences of low bone mass and deranged bone microarchitecture for offspring, advances in our understanding of the developmental origins of bone health is critical in the battle against osteoporosis.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity over the past 100 years has dramatically increased, with obesity identified as the most common metabolic disorder
In most studies, offspring exposed to maternal high-fat diet (HFD) have reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and bone volume in long bones and vertebrae from as early as 8-weeks of age, which persisted over their lifetime [18, 21,22,23, 25, 30]
Mineral apposition rate (MAR) is a reliable direct measurement of osteoblast function [40]; one rat study found no difference in MAR in 15-week old males following maternal HFD [22]
Summary
The prevalence of obesity over the past 100 years has dramatically increased, with obesity identified as the most common metabolic disorder. The effects of maternal HFD on bone mass and strength in offspring and the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life have been researched. Thirteen rodent studies considered the effects of maternal HFD on offspring bone development (Table 1).
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