High Choline Intake during Pregnancy Reduces Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome in Male Wistar Rat Offspring Fed a High Fat But Not a Normal Fat Post-Weaning Diet

• Main Authors: Rola Hammoud, Emanuela Pannia, Ruslan Kubant, Adam Metherel, Rebecca Simonian, Zdenka Pausova, G. Harvey Anderson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: choline; maternal nutrition; high fat diet; pregnancy; metabolic syndrome; fatty acids
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/5/1438

Maternal choline intakes are below recommendations, potentially impairing the child’s later-life metabolic health. This study aims to elucidate the interaction between the choline content of the gestational diet (GD) and fat content of the post-weaning diet (PWD) on metabolic phenotype of male Wistar rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were fed a standard rodent diet (AIN-93G) with either recommended choline (RC, 1 g/kg diet choline bitartrate) or high choline (HC, 2.5-fold). Male pups were weaned to either a normal (16%) fat (NF) or a high (45%) fat (HF) diet for 17 weeks. Body weight, visceral adiposity, food intake, energy expenditure, plasma hormones, triglycerides, and hepatic fatty acids were measured. HC-HF offspring had 7% lower body weight but not food intake, and lower adiposity, plasma triglycerides, and insulin resistance compared to RC-HF. They also had increased hepatic <i>n</i>-3 fatty acids and a reduced <i>n</i>-6/<i>n</i>-3 and C 18:1 <i>n</i>-9/C18:0 ratios. In contrast, HC-NF offspring had 6–8% higher cumulative food intake and body weight, as well as increased leptin and elevated hepatic C16:1 <i>n</i>-7/C16:0 ratio compared to RC-NF. Therefore, gestational choline supplementation associated with improved long-term regulation of several biomarkers of the metabolic syndrome in male Wistar rat offspring fed a HF, but not a NF, PWD.