Food intake behaviors change as a function of maternal diet and time-restricted feeding.

Introduction: Introduction: changes in dietary/energetic composition during the critical period of development (pregnancy/lactation) or even during meal times may contribute to changes in metabolic and behavioral parameters such as feeding behavior. Objective: the study aimed to examine the repercussions of time-restricted feeding on feeding behavior and on some parameters of glycemic and lipemic metabolism of the offspring of adult rats whose mothers were fed a westernized diet during pregnancy and lactation. Methods: initially, 43 male Wistar rats were used. At 60 days of life, the rats were divided into 4 groups: C: control group; RC: control group with time-restricted feeding; W: westernized diet during pregnancy/lactation group; RW: westernized diet group during pregnancy/lactation group with time-restricted feeding. The following parameters were evaluated: behavioral sequence of satiety (BSS), biochemical parameters, and abdominal fat. Results: findings highlighted a high level of abdominal fat in the groups whose mothers were submitted to a westernized diet, as well as hypertriglyceridemia, and clear differences in feed rate and meal length. This study showed that the westernized diet ingested by mothers during pregnancy and lactation induced hyperlipidemia and changes in the feeding behavior of their adult offspring. Conclusions: these changes may be responsible for eating disorders and risk factors for metabolism disturbance-related diseases.

Introducción: Introducción: los cambios en la composición dietética/energética durante el período crítico de desarrollo (embarazo/lactancia) o incluso durante las comidas pueden contribuir a cambios en los parámetros metabólicos y conductuales como el comportamiento alimentario. Objetivo: el estudio tuvo como objetivo examinar las repercusiones de la alimentación restringida en el tiempo sobre el comportamiento alimentario y sobre algunos parámetros del metabolismo glucémico y lipémico de crías de ratas adultas cuyas madres fueron alimentadas con una dieta occidentalizada durante el embarazo y la lactancia. Métodos: inicialmente se utilizaron 43 ratas Wistar macho. A los 60 días de vida, las ratas se agruparon en 4 grupos: C: grupo de control; RC: grupo de control con alimentación restringida en el tiempo; W: grupo de dieta occidentalizada durante el embarazo/lactancia; RW: grupo de dieta occidentalizada durante el embarazo y la lactancia con alimentación restringida en el tiempo. Se evaluaron los siguientes parámetros: secuencia conductual de saciedad (BSS), parámetros bioquímicos y grasa abdominal. Resultados: destacó una grasa abdominal elevada en los grupos cuyas madres fueron sometidas a una dieta occidentalizada, así como hipertrigliceridemia y una diferencia evidente en la tasa de alimentación y la duración de la comida. Este estudio demostró que la dieta occidentalizada ingerida por las madres durante el embarazo y la lactancia induce hiperlipidemia y cambios en el comportamiento alimentario de las crías adultas. Conclusiones: estos cambios pueden ser responsables de trastornos alimentarios y factores de riesgo de enfermedades relacionadas con alteraciones del metabolismo.

Effects of a westernized diet on the reflexes and physical maturation of male rat offspring during the perinatal period.

This study evaluates the effects of a westernized diet during the perinatal period on the maternal performance and growth and development of rat offspring. Female Wistar rats were fed with either a control (C) diet, with casein as the protein source or a westernized (W) diet, during pregnancy and lactation. The pups were divided, eight per group, into the same diet groups as their dams. During lactation, the body weight (day 1, W = 6.85 ± 0.62 g, C = 5.81 ± 0.49, p < 0.05; day 21, W = 55.42 ± 3.78, C = 47.75 ± 3.45, p < 0.001) and somatic growth (body length day 1, W = 53.24 ± 2.16, C = 50.641 ± 1.79, p < 0.05; day 21, W = 124.8, C = 119.903 ± 3.71, p < 0.001) in the male offspring showed significant differences among the groups. The physical appearance and reflex maturation showed differences between day 1 and day 3. With the westernized diet, during the perinatal period, no alterations in maternal weight gain, gestation or performance were observed; however, changes in the coefficients of feed efficiency and energy during lactation were noted. Besides, blood glucose was found to be elevated at the end of lactation (C = 3.67 ± 0.35 mmol/l, W = 5.2 0 ± 0.49 mmol/l). At 21 days, the male pups from the dams on the westernized diet were 15 % heavier, and the maturation of the neural reflexes and physical characteristics were found to occur earlier. Therefore, the consumption of a westernized diet during the perinatal period was independent of maternal energy intake, and influenced the growth and development of offspring.