Short term exercise ameliorates metabolic impact of maternal obesity in offspring

Aims: Maternal obesity has long term detrimental metabolic effects on offspring that are exacerbated by high fat diet (HFD) consumption after weaning. Here we examined the effects of short term exercise implemented in young adulthood, on adiposity and hormone profile in the female offspring of obese rat mothers.

Methods: Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either normal chow or HFD ad libitum for 5 weeks to yield chow and HFD mothers, then they were mated with chow fed male rats. Dams consumed the same diet throughout gestation and lactation. At weaning, female rats from each litter were separated into two diet groups, chow (C) or HFD (F), and after 7 weeks on their respective diet, half of each group were exercised (voluntary running wheels) for 5 weeks while the remainder were sedentary. Rats were killed at 15 weeks for blood and tissue collection.

Results: After the 7-week sedentary period, postweaning F diet significantly increased BW in offspring from both C and F mothers compared to offspring fed C (both p < 0.05). Exercise for 5 weeks significantly decreased BW, RpWAT mass (17% and 35% decrease respectively), plasma leptin and insulin concentrations in offspring of F mothers consuming F compared to siblings that were sedentary (all p < 0.05). Exercised rats showed a reduction in energy intake relative to their respective controls.

Conclusions: A short period of exercise implemented post puberty had beneficial effects in improving the phenotypic profile caused by maternal obesity and postnatal overnutrition.