Erin Smith
University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
Title: Increased maternal fructose intake alters milk composition, offspring plasma free fatty acids and hepatic lipid deposition
Biography
Biography: Erin Smith
Abstract
Globally, dietary fructose is a major public health concern. Fructose can contribute to insulin resistance, hepatic de novo lipogenesis, hypertriglyceridemia and obesity. Since diet during pregnancy can influence fetal growth and later-life disease predisposition. Little is known regarding the effects of fructose during pregnancy and the influence on offspring development and predisposition to later-life disease. Female guinea pigs were randomly allocated to control (CD) or fructose (FD) (10% in drinking water) groups. Following 60 days of fructose intake, guinea pigs were mated. Pregnant dams continued ad libitum access to fructose water throughout pregnancy. Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests (OGTT) were performed prior to fructose feeding at 12 weeks of age, 60 days after fructose feeding and at mid-gestation day 35. Following birth, all litters were standardized to 4 pups/litter. Offspring groups were weighed daily and underwent blood collection on day 0, 7, and 14. On day 21 offspring underwent an OGTT and post-mortem tissues were also collected. Maternal response to glucose was significantly increased in the FD group (P>0.05). Significant increases in milk pentadecanoic(P>0.01), vaccenic (P>0.01), cis-vaccenic (P>0.01) and palmitoleic acids (P>0.08) were observed. At day 7 offspring plasma glucose was significantly increased in FD males and females. Likewise, free fatty acids were increased in offspring plasma, Total saturates (P=0.01), C18:0 (P=0.02), C16:0 (P=0.002). Metabolomics and proteomics are currently being analysed.