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A maternal cafeteria diet during gestation and lactation promotes adiposity and impairs skeletal muscle development and metabolism in rat offspring at weaning
Author(s) -
Bayol Stéphanie A.,
Simbi Bigboy H.,
Stickland Neil C.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2005.088989
Subject(s) - endocrinology , medicine , lactation , offspring , biology , weaning , gestation , cafeteria , skeletal muscle , insulin resistance , adipocyte , adipose tissue , insulin , pregnancy , pathology , genetics
We examined the effects of a maternal cafeteria diet on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue development in the offspring at weaning. Rats born to mothers fed the cafeteria diet either during gestation alone or during both gestation and lactation exhibited a 25% reduction in muscle cross‐sectional area with approximately 20% fewer fibres compared with pups fed a balanced chow diet. Maintaining the cafeteria diet during lactation increased intramuscular lipid content and fat pad weights characterized by adipocyte hypertrophy but not hyperplasia. These pups also had elevated muscle IGF‐1, IGF‐1 receptor, and PPARγ mRNA levels, which may indicate an attempt to maintain normal insulin sensitivity. The increased adiposity and elevated IGF‐1, IGF‐1 receptor and PPARγ mRNAs were not seen in the pups rehabilitated to the balanced diet during lactation. However, these pups exhibited reduced muscle cell proliferation (PCNA) with reduced insulin receptor and a trend towards reduced glucose transporter (GLUT)‐4 mRNAs when compared with pups fed a balanced chow diet, indicating possible alterations in glucose uptake by muscle tissue. Therefore, rats born to mothers fed a cafeteria diet during gestation alone or during both gestation and lactation exhibited impaired skeletal muscle development and metabolic disorders normally associated with insulin resistance as early as the weaning stage.