Maternal and cord blood fatty acid patterns with excessive gestational weight gain and neonatal macrosomia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the association of maternal excessive gestational weight gain with saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in maternal and cord serum. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: We included 77 pairs of women and their newborns and classified them into three groups as follows: mothers with normal gestational weight gain and their babies with normal birth weight in group I (30 pairs), mothers with excessive gestational weight gain and their babies with normal birth weight in group II (30 pairs), and mothers with excessive gestational weight gain and their macrosomic babies in group III (17 pairs). Serum fatty acid concentrations were determined through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: No remarkable difference in maternal dietary intake was observed among the three groups. C16:0, C18:0, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid concentrations were significantly higher in group III mothers than in group I mothers. Compared with group I neonates, total saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations were significantly lower but total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and docosahexaenoic acid concentrations were significantly higher in group II neonates (p<0.05). The n-6: n-3 ratio in maternal and cord serum was approximately 10:1 and 1.5:1, respectively. CONCLUSION: Women with excessive gestational weight gain who deliver a macrocosmic neonate tend to have higher total saturated fatty acid concentrations but lower docosahexaenoic acid concentrations in their neonate cord serum. Fatty acid concentrations in maternal and cord serum are not associated with maternal dietary pattern.

[Impact of oral vitamin D supplementation in early life on diabetic mice induced by streptozotocin].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of oral vitamin D supplementation in early life on blood glucose, insulin content, diabetes incidence, and histomorphology in pancreatic islet induced by streptozotocin. METHODS: Three-week-old C57BL/6 mice were given either control diet (American Institute of Nutrition [AIN]-93G), or three different dose of vitamin D-supplemented diet. Nine weeks after dietary intervention, C57BL/6 mice were treated with streptozotocin i.p. for 5 consecutive days. After injection of STZ, The fasting blood glucose and diabetes incidence was tested once a week. The insulin content, histomorphology in pancreatic islets was conducted at the end of experiments. RESULTS: (1) Vitamin D supplementation in early life can decrease the fasting blood glucose values induced by STZ, and the decreases effect of high dose vitamin D-supplemented group is the most significant (P<0.01). (2) Vitamin D supplementation in early life can prevent diabetes incidence, and the decreases effect of high dose vitamin D-supplemented group is the most significant, fully suppress the onset of diabetes about four weeks later after injected by STZ (P<0.01). (3) As compared to the control group, insulin content in medium and high dose vitamin D-supplemented groups were significantly up-regulated after injection of STZ (P<0.05), and the effect of high dose vitamin D-supplemented group is the most significant. (4) The damage of pancreatic islets induced by STZ was clearly restored in medium and high dose vitamin D-supplemented groups, and effect of high dose vitamin D-supplemented group is the most significant. CONCLUSION: Oral vitamin D supplementation in early life can decrease the fasting blood glucose values, prevent diabetes incidence, up-regulate insulin content, restored the damage of pancreatic islets induced by STZ, and effects of high dose vitamin D-supplementde group are all the most significant.