A maternal ‘junk food’ diet in pregnancy and lactation promotes an exacerbated taste for ‘junk food’ and a greater propensity for obesity in rat offspring

TLDR

Obesity is linked to high intake of energy‑dense junk foods, and while maternal diet can influence offspring appetite and body mass, the impact of a junk‑food diet during pregnancy and lactation on offspring feeding behavior and weight gain remains largely uncharacterised. Six rat groups were fed either standard chow or a junk‑food diet during gestation, lactation, and/or post‑weaning, with daily food intake and body mass recorded in 42 mothers and 216 offspring from weaning to 10 weeks of age. Offspring born to mothers fed junk food throughout gestation and lactation displayed a heightened preference for fatty, sugary, and salty foods and, when exposed to junk food throughout the study, had higher body weight and BMI than all other groups, indicating that maternal junk‑food consumption during pregnancy and lactation may promote obesity in the progeny.

Abstract

Obesity is generally associated with high intake of junk foods rich in energy, fat, sugar and salt combined with a dysfunctional control of appetite and lack of exercise. There is some evidence to suggest that appetite and body mass can be influenced by maternal food intake during the fetal and suckling life of an individual. However, the influence of a maternal junk food diet during pregnancy and lactation on the feeding behaviour and weight gain of the offspring remains largely uncharacterised. In this study, six groups of rats were fed either rodent chow alone or with a junk food diet during gestation, lactation and/or post-weaning. The daily food intakes and body mass were measured in forty-two pregnant and lactating mothers as well as in 216 offspring from weaning up to 10 weeks of age. Results showed that 10 week-old rats born to mothers fed the junk food diet during gestation and lactation developed an exacerbated preference for fatty, sugary and salty foods at the expense of protein-rich foods when compared with offspring fed a balanced chow diet prior to weaning or during lactation alone. Male and female offspring exposed to the junk food diet throughout the study also exhibited increased body weight and BMI compared with all other offspring. This study shows that a maternal junk food diet during pregnancy and lactation may be an important contributing factor in the development of obesity.