Maternal choline supplementation mitigates premature foetal weight gain induced by an obesogenic diet, potentially linked to increased amniotic fluid leptin levels in rats.

Placental leptin may impact foetal development. Maternal overnutrition has been linked to increased plasma leptin levels and adverse effects on offspring, whereas choline, an essential nutrient for foetal development, has shown promise in mitigating some negative impacts of maternal obesity. Here, we investigate whether a maternal obesogenic diet alters foetal growth and leptin levels in the foetal stomach, amniotic fluid (AF), and placenta in late gestation and explore the potential modulating effects of maternal choline supplementation. Female rats were fed a control (CD) or a western diet (WD) four weeks before mating and during gestation, half of them supplemented with choline (pregnancy days 11-17). Leptin levels (in foetal stomach, AF, and placenta) and leptin gene expression (in placenta) were assessed on gestation days 20 and 21. At day 20, maternal WD feeding resulted in greater leptin levels in foetal stomach, placenta, and AF. The increased AF leptin levels were associated with a premature increase in foetal weight in both sexes. Maternal choline supplementation partially prevented these alterations, but effects differed in CD dams, causing increased AF leptin levels and greater weight in male foetuses at day 20. Maternal choline supplementation effectively mitigates premature foetal overgrowth induced by an obesogenic diet, potentially linked to increased AF leptin levels. Further research is needed to explore the sex-specific effects.

Early Life Programming of Adipose Tissue Remodeling and Browning Capacity by Micronutrients and Bioactive Compounds as a Potential Anti-Obesity Strategy.

The early stages of life, especially the period from conception to two years, are crucial for shaping metabolic health and the risk of obesity in adulthood. Adipose tissue (AT) plays a crucial role in regulating energy homeostasis and metabolism, and brown AT (BAT) and the browning of white AT (WAT) are promising targets for combating weight gain. Nutritional factors during prenatal and early postnatal stages can influence the development of AT, affecting the likelihood of obesity later on. This narrative review focuses on the nutritional programming of AT features. Research conducted across various animal models with diverse interventions has provided insights into the effects of specific compounds on AT development and function, influencing the development of crucial structures and neuroendocrine circuits responsible for energy balance. The hormone leptin has been identified as an essential nutrient during lactation for healthy metabolic programming against obesity development in adults. Studies have also highlighted that maternal supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vitamin A, nicotinamide riboside, and polyphenols during pregnancy and lactation, as well as offspring supplementation with myo-inositol, vitamin A, nicotinamide riboside, and resveratrol during the suckling period, can impact AT features and long-term health outcomes and help understand predisposition to obesity later in life.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor as a Potential Mediator of the Beneficial Effects of Myo-Inositol Supplementation during Suckling in the Offspring of Gestational-Calorie-Restricted Rats.

This study aims to investigate the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of myo-inositol (MI) supplementation during suckling against the detrimental effects of fetal energy restriction described in animal studies, particularly focusing on the potential connections with BDNF signaling. Oral physiological doses of MI or the vehicle were given daily to the offspring of control (CON) and 25%-calorie-restricted (CR) pregnant rats during suckling. The animals were weaned and then fed a standard diet until 5 months of age, when the diet was switched to a Western diet until 7 months of age. At 25 days and 7 months of age, the plasma BDNF levels and mRNA expression were analyzed in the hypothalamus and three adipose tissue depots. MI supplementation, especially in the context of gestational calorie restriction, promoted BDNF secretion and signaling at a juvenile age and in adulthood, which was more evident in the male offspring of the CR dams than in females. Moreover, the CR animals supplemented with MI exhibited a stimulated anorexigenic signaling pathway in the hypothalamus, along with improved peripheral glucose management and enhanced browning capacity. These findings suggest a novel connection between MI supplementation during suckling, BDNF signaling, and metabolic programming, providing insights into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of MI during lactation.

Study protocol: Identification and validation of integrative biomarkers of physical activity level and health in children and adolescents (INTEGRActiv).

Background: Physical activity (PA) provides health benefits across the lifespan and improves many established cardiovascular risk factors that have a significant impact on overall mortality. However, discrepancies between self-reported and device-based measures of PA make it difficult to obtain consistent results regarding PA and its health effects. Moreover, PA may produce different health effects depending on the type, intensity, duration, and frequency of activities and individual factors such as age, sex, body weight, early life conditions/exposures, etc. Appropriate biomarkers relating the degree of PA level with its effects on health, especially in children and adolescents, are required and missing. The main objective of the INTEGRActiv study is to identify novel useful integrative biomarkers of PA and its effects on the body health in children and adolescents, who represent an important target population to address personalized interventions to improve future metabolic health. Methods/design: The study is structured in two phases. First, biomarkers of PA and health will be identified at baseline in a core cohort of 180 volunteers, distributed into two age groups: prepubertal (n = 90), and postpubertal adolescents (n = 90). Each group will include three subgroups (n = 30) with subjects of normal weight, overweight, and obesity, respectively. Identification of new biomarkers will be achieved by combining physical measures (PA and cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, anthropometry) and molecular measures (cardiovascular risk factors, endocrine markers, cytokines and circulating miRNA in plasma, gene expression profile in blood cells, and metabolomics profiling in plasma). In the second phase, an educational intervention and its follow-up will be carried out in a subgroup of these subjects (60 volunteers), as a first validation step of the identified biomarkers. Discussion: The INTEGRActiv study is expected to provide the definition of PA and health-related biomarkers (PA-health biomarkers) in childhood and adolescence. It will allow us to relate biomarkers to factors such as age, sex, body weight, sleep behavior, dietary factors, and pubertal status and to identify how these factors quantitatively affect the biomarkers' responses. Taken together, the INTEGRActiv study approach is expected to help monitor the efficacy of interventions aimed to improve the quality of life of children/adolescents through physical activity. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier NCT05907785.

Stachydrine, N-acetylornithine and trimethylamine N-oxide levels as candidate milk biomarkers of maternal consumption of an obesogenic diet during lactation.

We aimed to evaluate whether improving maternal diet during lactation in diet-induced obese rats reverts the impact of western diet (WD) consumption on the metabolome of milk and offspring plasma, as well as to identify potential biomarkers of these conditions. Three groups of dams were followed: control-dams (CON-dams), fed with standard diet (SD); WD-dams, fed with WD prior and during gestation and lactation; and reversion-dams (REV-dams), fed as WD-dams but moved to SD during lactation. Metabolomic analysis was performed in milk at lactation days 5, 10, and 15, and in plasma from their male and female offspring at postnatal day 15. Milk of WD-dams presented, throughout lactation and compared to CON-dams, altered profiles of amino acids and of the carnitine pool, accompanied by changes in other polar metabolites, being stachydrine, N-acetylornithine, and trimethylamine N-oxide the most relevant and discriminatory metabolites between groups. The plasma metabolome profile was also altered in the offspring of WD-dams in a sex-dependent manner, and stachydrine, ergothioneine and the acylcarnitine C12:1 appeared as the top three most discriminating metabolites in both sexes. Metabolomic changes were largely normalized to control levels both in the milk of REV-dams and in the plasma of their offspring. We have identified a set of polar metabolites in maternal milk and in the plasma of the offspring whose alterations may indicate maternal intake of an unbalanced diet during gestation and lactation. Levels of these metabolites may also reflect the beneficial effects of implementing a healthier diet during lactation.

KLB and NOX4 expression levels as potential blood-based transcriptional biomarkers of physical activity in children.

Insufficient physical activity (PA) in children is considered one of the major contributors to obesity and cardiometabolic complications later in life. Although regular exercise may contribute to disease prevention and health promotion, reliable early biomarkers are required to objectively discern people performing low PA from those who exercise enough. Here, we aimed to identify potential transcript-based biomarkers through the analysis of a whole-genome microarray in peripheral blood cells (PBC) from physically less active (n = 10) comparing with more active (n = 10) children. A set of genes differentially expressed (p < 0.01, Limma test) in less physically active children were identified, including the down-regulation of genes related to cardiometabolic benefits and improved skeletal function (KLB, NOX4, and SYPL2), and the up-regulation of genes whose elevated expression levels are associated with metabolic complications (IRX5, UBD, and MGP). The analysis of the enriched pathways significantly affected by PA levels were those associated with protein catabolism, skeletal morphogenesis, and wound healing, among others, which may suggest a differential impact of low PA on these processes. Microarray analysis comparing children according to their usual PA has revealed potential PBC transcript-based biomarkers that may be useful in early discerning children expending high sedentary time and its associated negative consequences.

Influence of Maternal Metabolic Status and Diet during the Perinatal Period on the Metabolic Programming by Leptin Ingested during the Suckling Period in Rats.

We aimed to analyze the long-term metabolic effects of leptin supplementation at physiological doses during suckling in the offspring of diet-induced obese rats, together with the potential benefits of improving maternal diet during lactation. Thus, the offspring of: dams fed standard-diet (SD) (CON-dams), dams fed western-diet (WD) before and during gestation and lactation (WD-dams), and dams fed as WD-dams but moved to SD during lactation (REV-dams) were supplemented throughout suckling with leptin or vehicle, and fed SD or WD from weaning to four months. Under SD, leptin treatment significantly improved metabolic profile and body fat accumulation, with stronger effects in the male offspring of CON-dams and REV-dams. Under WD, the offspring of WD-dams presented metabolic alterations that were not evident in the offspring of REV-dams. Moreover, leptin supplementation improved glucose homeostasis in the male offspring of REV-dams. Conversely, leptin supplementation in females born to WD-dams and fed WD from weaning resulted in impaired insulin sensitivity and increased hepatic lipid content. These results highlight the importance of a balanced maternal diet during the perinatal period, especially lactation, for the subsequent metabolic health of the offspring and for the beneficial effects of leptin supplementation during suckling, more evident in the male offspring.

Efficacy of Different Modalities and Frequencies of Physical Exercise on Glucose Control in People with Prediabetes (GLYCEX Randomised Trial).

To assess the efficacy of different modalities and frequencies of physical exercise on glycaemic control in adults with prediabetes. A two-phase, parallel, randomised, controlled clinical trial will be carried out, in 210 participants. In phase 1, 120 participants will be randomized into four arms: (1) aerobic exercise, (2) aerobic exercise combined with resistance, (3) high-intensity intervallic exercise and (4) control group. In phase 2, 90 new participants will be randomized into three arms, using the exercise modality that showed the best glycaemic control in phase 1 in the following manner: (1) frequency of 5 days/week, (2) frequency of 3 days/week and (3) frequency of 2 days/week. The control group (n = 30) will be included in phase 1 to evaluate the effect of any type of intervention versus no intervention. Data collection will be performed at baseline and after 15 weeks of follow up. Sociodemographic data, medication, comorbidity, blood biochemical parameters, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, body composition, physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, quality of life and sleep questionnaires will be collected. Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep will be further determined with an accelerometer, and continuous glycaemia will be determined with a glycaemic monitor, both during seven days, at two time points. The main dependent variable will be the reduction in the mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions. The impact of these interventions on health will also be evaluated through gene expression analysis in peripheral blood cells. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the glucose response to physical exercise in a population with prediabetes as well as improve physical exercise prescriptions for diabetes prevention. Increasing glycaemic control in people with prediabetes through physical exercise offers an opportunity to prevent diabetes and reduce associated comorbidities and health costs.

Supplementation with the Prebiotic High-Esterified Pectin Improves Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Risk Biomarker Profile, Counteracting Metabolic Malprogramming.

Supplementation with the prebiotic pectin is associated with beneficial health effects. We aimed to characterize the cardioprotective actions of chronic high-esterified pectin (HEP) supplementation (10%) in a model of metabolic malprogramming in rats, prone to obesity and associated disorders: the progeny of mild calorie-restricted dams during the first half of pregnancy. Results show that pectin supplementation reverses metabolic malprogramming associated with gestational undernutrition. In this sense, HEP supplementation improved blood pressure, reduced heart lipid content, and regulated cardiac gene expression of atrial natriuretic peptide and lipid metabolism-related genes. Moreover, it caused an elevation in circulating levels of fibroblast growth factor 21 and a higher expression of its co-receptor ß-klotho in the heart. Most effects are correlated with the gut levels of beneficial bacteria promoted by HEP. Therefore, chronic HEP supplementation shows cardioprotective actions, and hence, it is worth considering as a strategy to prevent programmed cardiometabolic alterations.

Increased mRNA Levels of ADAM17, IFITM3, and IFNE in Peripheral Blood Cells Are Present in Patients with Obesity and May Predict Severe COVID-19 Evolution.

Gene expression patterns in blood cells from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals with different clinical phenotypes and body mass index (BMI) could help to identify possible early prognosis factors for COVID-19. We recruited patients with COVID-19 admitted in Hospital Universitari Son Espases (HUSE) between March 2020 and November 2021, and control subjects. Peripheral blood cells (PBCs) and plasma samples were obtained on hospital admission. Gene expression of candidate transcriptomic biomarkers in PBCs were compared based on the patients' clinical status (mild, severe and critical) and BMI range (normal weight, overweight, and obesity). mRNA levels of ADAM17, IFITM3, IL6, CXCL10, CXCL11, IFNG and TYK2 were increased in PBCs of COVID-19 patients (n = 73) compared with controls (n = 47), independently of sex. Increased expression of IFNE was observed in the male patients only. PBC mRNA levels of ADAM17, IFITM3, CXCL11, and CCR2 were higher in those patients that experienced a more serious evolution during hospitalization. ADAM17, IFITM3, IL6 and IFNE were more highly expressed in PBCs of patients with obesity. Interestingly, the expression pattern of ADAM17, IFITM3 and IFNE in PBCs was related to both the severity of COVID-19 evolution and obesity status, especially in the male patients. In conclusion, gene expression in PBCs can be useful for the prognosis of COVID-19 evolution.

Dietary Improvement during Lactation Normalizes miR-26a, miR-222 and miR-484 Levels in the Mammary Gland, but Not in Milk, of Diet-Induced Obese Rats.

We aimed to evaluate in rats whether the levels of specific miRNA are altered in the mammary gland (MG) and milk of diet-induced obese dams, and whether improving maternal nutrition during lactation attenuates such alterations. Dams fed with a standard diet (SD) (control group), with a Western diet (WD) prior to and during gestation and lactation (WD group), or with WD prior to and during gestation but moved to SD during lactation (Rev group) were followed. The WD group showed higher miR-26a, miR-222 and miR-484 levels than the controls in the MG, but the miRNA profile in Rev animals was not different from those of the controls. The WD group also displayed higher miR-125a levels than the Rev group. Dams of the WD group, but not the Rev group, displayed lower mRNA expression levels of Rb1 (miR-26a's target) and Elovl6 (miR-125a's target) than the controls in the MG. The WD group also presented lower expression of Insig1 (miR-26a's target) and Cxcr4 (miR-222's target) than the Rev group. However, both WD and Rev animals displayed lower expression of Vegfa (miR-484's target) than the controls. WD animals also showed greater miR-26a, miR-125a and miR-222 levels in the milk than the controls, but no differences were found between the WD and Rev groups. Thus, implementation of a healthy diet during lactation normalizes the expression levels of specific miRNAs and some target genes in the MG of diet-induced obese dams but not in milk.

Reverting to a Healthy Diet during Lactation Normalizes Maternal Milk Lipid Content of Diet-Induced Obese Rats and Prevents Early Alterations in the Plasma Lipidome of the Offspring.

SCOPE: This study aims to assess in rats whether normalizing maternal diet during lactation prevents the harmful effects of western diet (WD) consumption during the whole perinatal period on the lipidomic profile in maternal milk and offspring plasma. METHODS AND RESULTS: Control dams (CON-dams), fed with standard diet (SD); WD-dams, fed with WD prior and during gestation and lactation; and reversion dams (REV-dams), fed as WD-dams but moved to SD during lactation are followed. Lipidomic analysis is performed in milk and plasma samples from pups. Milk of WD-dams presents a different triacylglycerol composition and free fatty acid (FA) profile compared to CON-dams, including an increased ratio of pro-inflammatory to anti-inflammatory long-chain polyunsaturated FA. Such alterations, which are also present in the plasma of their offspring, are widely reversed in the milk of REV-dams and the plasma of their pups. This is related with the recovery of control adiponectin expression levels in the mammary gland, and the presence of decreased expression of pro-inflammatory factors. CONCLUSION: Implementing a healthy diet during lactation prevents early alterations in the plasma lipidome of pups associated to the maternal intake of an obesogenic diet, which may be related to the normalization of milk lipid content and the inflammatory state in the mammary gland.

Maternal Consumption of a Cafeteria Diet during Lactation Leads to Altered Diet-Induced Thermogenesis in Descendants after Exposure to a Western Diet in Adulthood.

This study investigates the ability of a maternal cafeteria diet during lactation to program brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolic responses to an obesogenic diet re-exposure in the adult offspring after consuming a standard diet (SD). Nursing rats were fed an SD or a cafeteria diet during lactation. Their offspring (O-C and O-CAF, respectively) were weaned onto an SD, and at 16 weeks of age they were switched to a Western diet until week 24. Gene and protein expression in BAT were measured at PN22 and at 24 weeks. At PN22, compared to controls, O-CAF rats displayed lower mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (Fasn), and higher expression of genes related to lipolysis (Pnpla2), fatty acid uptake (Cd36, Lpl), and oxidation (Cpt1b). Additionally, O-CAF animals displayed increased mRNA levels of Adrb3, Ucp1, and Cidea. In adulthood, these animals maintained lower mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (Pparg, Srebf1, Fasn), but displayed lower expression of genes related to fatty acid uptake (Cd36), fatty acid oxidation (Cpt1b), lipolysis (Pnpla2), Adrb3, Ucp1, and Cidea. Thus, exposure to an obesogenic diet in nursing rats can affect long-term lipid metabolism and attenuate diet-induced thermogenesis in BAT in response to a new obesogenic dietary challenge later in life.

Implementation of a healthy diet to lactating rats attenuates the early detrimental programming effects in the offspring born to obese dams. Putative relationship with milk hormone levels.

Lactation is a critical period of development and alterations in milk composition due to maternal diet or status may affect infant growth. We aimed to evaluate in rats whether improving maternal nutrition during lactation attenuates early imprinted adverse metabolic effects in the offspring born to obese dams. Three groups were studied: Control (C) dams, fed with standard diet; Western diet (WD) dams, fed with WD 1 month prior to gestation and during gestation and lactation; and Reversion (Rev) dams, fed as WD-dams, but moved to a standard diet during lactation. Macronutrient content, insulin, leptin and adiponectin levels were determined in milk. Phenotypic traits and circulating parameters in dams and their offspring were determined throughout lactation. Results showed that, at weaning, WD-dams displayed lower body weight and greater plasma insulin and non-esterified fatty acids levels than C-dams, and signs of hepatic steatosis. Milk from WD-dams showed lower protein content and insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels during the entire or the late lactation. Rev-dams retained excess body fat content, but milk composition and most circulating parameters were not different from controls at late lactation and showed higher leptin mRNA levels in mammary gland than WD-dams. The offspring of WD-dams, but not that of Rev-dams, displayed higher body weight, adiposity, and circulating leptin and glucose levels than controls at weaning. In conclusion, dietary improvement during lactation prevents early adverse effects in offspring associated with maternal intake of an obesogenic diet, that may be related with the normalization of milk hormone levels.

Leptin as a key regulator of the adipose organ.

Leptin is a hormone primarily produced by the adipose tissue in proportion to the size of fat stores, with a primary function in the control of lipid reserves. Besides adipose tissue, leptin is also produced by other tissues, such as the stomach, placenta, and mammary gland. Altogether, leptin exerts a broad spectrum of short, medium, and long-term regulatory actions at the central and peripheral levels, including metabolic programming effects that condition the proper development and function of the adipose organ, which are relevant for its main role in energy homeostasis. Comprehending how leptin regulates adipose tissue may provide important clues to understand the pathophysiology of obesity and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, as well as its prevention and treatment. This review focuses on the physiological and long-lasting regulatory effects of leptin on adipose tissue, the mechanisms and pathways involved, its main outcomes on whole-body physiological homeostasis, and its consequences on chronic diseases.

Myo-Inositol Supplementation in Suckling Rats Protects against Adverse Programming Outcomes on Hypothalamic Structure Caused by Mild Gestational Calorie Restriction, Partially Comparable to Leptin Effects.

We studied whether myo-inositol supplementation throughout lactation, alone and combined with leptin, may reverse detrimental effects on hypothalamic structure and function caused by gestational calorie gestation (CR) in rats. Candidate early transcript-based biomarkers of metabolic health in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were also studied. Offspring of dams exposed to 25% gestational CR and supplemented during lactation with physiological doses of leptin (CR-L), myo-inositol (CR-M), the combination (CR-LM), or the vehicle (CR-V) as well as control rats (CON-V) were followed and sacrificed at postnatal day 25. Myo-inositol and the combination increased the number of neurons in arcuate nucleus (ARC) (only in females) and paraventricular nucleus, and myo-inositol (alone) restored the number of αMSH+ neurons in ARC. Hypothalamic mRNA levels of Lepr in CR-M and Insr in CR-M and CR-LM males were higher than in CR-V and CON-V, respectively. In PBMC, increased expression levels of Lrp11 and Gls in CR-V were partially normalized in all supplemented groups (but only in males for Gls). Therefore, myo-inositol supplementation throughout lactation, alone and combined with leptin, reverts programmed alterations by fetal undernutrition on hypothalamic structure and gene expression of potential early biomarkers of metabolic health in PBMC, which might be attributed, in part, to increased leptin sensitivity.

Sex-Specific Effects of Myo-Inositol Ingested During Lactation in the Improvement of Metabolic Health in Adult Rats.

SCOPE: To examine the effects of myo-inositol supplementation during lactation in male and female rats on metabolic parameters and its potential to reverse metabolic alterations associated with a moderate gestational calorie restriction. METHODS AND RESULTS: The offspring of control and 25% gestational calorie-restricted rats are supplemented with myo-inositol or vehicle throughout lactation and exposed to a Western diet (WD) from 5 to 7 months of age. Blood parameters are measured and gene expression and protein levels in retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (rWAT) and liver are analyzed. In male offspring, but not in females, myo-inositol supplementation resulted in lower fasting triglyceride and insulin levels and HOMA-IR at 7 months, and reversed the alterations in these parameters due to gestational calorie restriction. The expression pattern of key genes in metabolism in rWAT and liver support the beneficial effect of myo-inositol supplementation in reversing metabolic alterations programmed by gestational calorie restriction in male rats. CONCLUSIONS: Myo-inositol supplementation at physiological doses during lactation improves metabolic health and prevents the programmed trend to develop insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia in male rats acquired by inadequate fetal nutrition and exacerbated by a diabetogenic diet in adulthood. The absence of clear effects in females deserves further investigation.

Lactation as a programming window for metabolic syndrome.

The concept of developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) was initially supported by the low birth weight and higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in adult life, caused by nutrition restriction during foetal development. However, other programming windows have been recognized in the last years, namely lactation, infancy, adolescence and even preconception. Although the concept has been developed in order to study the impact of foetal calorie restriction in adult life, it is now recognized that maternal overweight during programming windows is also harmful to the offspring. This article explores and summarizes the current knowledge about the impact of maternal obesity and obesogenic diets during lactation in the metabolic programming towards the development of metabolic syndrome in the adult life. The impact of maternal obesity and obesogenic diets in milk quality is discussed, including the alterations in specific micro and macronutrients, as well as the impact of such alterations in the development of metabolic syndrome-associated features in the newborn, such as insulin resistance and adiposity. Moreover, the impact of milk quality and formula feeding in infants' gut microbiota, immune system maturation and in the nutrient-sensing mechanisms, namely those related to gut hormones and leptin, are also discussed under the current knowledge.

Leptin and Metabolic Programming.

This Special Issue of Nutrients "Leptin and Metabolic Programming" includes one review article regarding the function of leptin throughout the entire life on cardiometabolic fates and four original articles related to the new function of leptin present in milk and liquid amniotic, its possible relation with other components of breast milk, and how environmental conditions may impact on leptin action and metabolic programming [...].