Sex-Dependent Variations in Hypothalamic Fatty Acid Profile and Neuropeptides in Offspring Exposed to Maternal Obesity and High-Fat Diet.

Maternal obesity and/or high-fat diet (HF) consumption can disrupt appetite regulation in their offspring, contributing to transgenerational obesity and metabolic diseases. As fatty acids (FAs) play a role in appetite regulation, we investigated the maternal and fetal levels of FAs as potential contributors to programmed hyperphagia observed in the offspring of obese dams. Female mice were fed either a control diet (CT) or HF prior to mating, and fetal and maternal blood and tissues were collected at 19 days of gestation. Elevated levels of linoleic acid were observed in the serum of HF dams as well as in the serum of their fetuses. An increased concentration of eicosadienoic acid was also detected in the hypothalamus of female HF-O fetuses. HF-O male fetuses showed increased hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (Npy) gene expression, while HF-O female fetuses showed decreased hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) protein content. Both male and female fetuses exhibited reduced hypothalamic neurogenin 3 (NGN-3) gene expression. In vitro experiments confirmed that LA contributed to the decreased gene expression of Pomc and Ngn-3 in neuronal cells. During lactation, HF female offspring consumed more milk and had a higher body weight compared to CT. In summary, this study demonstrated that exposure to HF prior to and during gestation alters the FA composition in maternal serum and fetal serum and hypothalamus, particularly increasing n-6, which may play a role in the switch from POMC to NPY neurons, leading to increased weight gain in the offspring during lactation.

Insulin and leptin oscillations license food-entrained browning and metabolic flexibility.

Timed feeding drives adipose browning, although the integrative mechanisms for the same remain unclear. Here, we show that twice-a-night (TAN) feeding generates biphasic oscillations of circulating insulin and leptin, representing their entrainment by timed feeding. Insulin and leptin surges lead to marked cellular, functional, and metabolic remodeling of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT), resulting in increased energy expenditure. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analyses and flow cytometry demonstrate a role for insulin and leptin surges in innate lymphoid type 2 (ILC2) cell recruitment and sWAT browning, since sWAT depot denervation or loss of leptin or insulin receptor signaling or ILC2 recruitment each dampens TAN feeding-induced sWAT remodeling and energy expenditure. Consistently, recreating insulin and leptin oscillations via once-a-day timed co-injections is sufficient to favorably remodel innervated sWAT. Innervation is necessary for sWAT remodeling, since denervation of sWAT, but not brown adipose tissue (BAT), blocks TAN-induced sWAT remodeling and resolution of inflammation. In sum, reorganization of nutrient-sensitive pathways remodels sWAT and drives the metabolic benefits of timed feeding.

Can the elite slalom kayaker's performance be correlated with anthropometric, nutritional, genetic, psychological as sleep traits?

Abstract AIMS The aims of this study were to investigate and characterize the anthropometric, nutritional, genetic, psychological and sleep variables of slalom kayakers, and to verify the correlation of these variables with the slalom kayakers' performance. METHODS Ten elite Brazilian team slalom kayakers participated of this study. Nutritional analysis was made by the Food Record (three days), 24 Hour Dietary Recall and Food Frequency Questionnaire. The ACE I/D, AGTMet235Thr, ACTN3R577X and BDKRB2+9/-9 were genotyped for genetic profile. The Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Sports Competition Anxiety Test (SCAT) were applied to investigate the psychological variables. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleep Scale (ESS) and Morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ) were used for sleep traits analysis. Performance trials were performed on a white-water course with 24 gates, and finish time was considered as the variable related to performance. RESULTS Significant correlations were obtained between Performance Time Trial and %Fat (r=0.77), Energy (r=-0.75), Protein (r=-0.76), Carbohydrate (r=-0.72), Vitamin B6 (r=-0.87), Vitamin A (r=-0.82), Thiamine (r=-0.77), Riboflavin (r=-0.71), Magnesium (r=-0.86) and Phosphorus (r=-0.74) intake, besides the Fatigue mood domain (r=0.73) and the SCAT score (r=0.67). Athletes genotyped with the I, T, R and +9 alelle also presented better performances. CONCLUSIONSIn summary, the novel results provided by this study reinforce the necessity of considering several aspects during athlete development in order to achieve better performance in competitions.