Maternal dietary ratio of linoleic acid to alpha-linolenic acid during pregnancy has sexspecific effects on placental and fetal weights in the rat

Draycott, Sally A.V.; Liu, Ge; Daniel, Zoe C.; Elmes, Matthew J.; Mulhausler, Beverly S.; Langley-Evans, Simon C

Abstract

Background: Increased consumption of linoleic acid (LA, omega-6) in Western diets coupled with the pro-inflammatory and adipogenic properties of its derivatives has led to suggestions that fetal exposure to this dietary pattern could be contributing to the intergenerational cycle of obesity.
Method: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of maternal consumption of a LA to alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) ratio similar to modern Western diets (9:1) compared to a lower ratio (1:1.5) on placental and fetal growth, and to determine any cumulative effects by feeding both diets at two total fat levels (18% vs 36% fat w/w). Female Wistar rats (n=5-7/group) were assigned to one of the four experimental diets prior tomating until 20d of gestation.
Results: Fatty acid profiles of maternal and fetal blood and placental tissue at 20d gestation were different between dietary groups, and largely reflected dietary fatty acid composition. Female fetuses were heavier (2.98±0.06g vs 3.36±0.07g, P

Citation

Draycott, S. A., Liu, G., Daniel, Z. C., Elmes, M. J., Mulhausler, B. S., & Langley-Evans, S. C. (2019). Maternal dietary ratio of linoleic acid to alpha-linolenic acid during pregnancy has sexspecific effects on placental and fetal weights in the rat. Nutrition and Metabolism, 16(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-018-0330-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 19, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jan 3, 2019
• Publication Date: Jan 3, 2019
• Deposit Date: Dec 20, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 20, 2018
• Journal: Nutrition & Metabolism
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-7075
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12986-018-0330-7
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1429980
• Publisher URL: https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-018-0330-7