Folic acid in a high multivitamin diet during pregnancy increases post‐weaning weight gain and PPAR gene expression in adipose and liver of Wistar rat dams (135.2)

• Published in: The FASEB journal Vol. 28; no. S1
• Main Authors: Pannia, Emanuela, Cho, Clara, Sanchez‐Hernandez, Diana, Huot, Pedro, Poon, Abraham, Kubant, Ruslan, Anderson, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 01-04-2014
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.135.2

High multivitamin (10‐fold, HV) or folic acid (Fol) intake alone during pregnancy leads to an obesogenic phenotype in the offspring but its effects on the later post‐weaning (PW) weight gain of the dams has not been reported. This study investigated whether Fol alone as a component of a HV gestational diet affects PW weight gain and associates with expression of peroxisome‐proliferator activated receptor isoforms (PPAR‐α/β/γ) involved in lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. Wistar rat dams were fed an AIN‐93G diet during pregnancy containing either: 1) Recommended vitamin (RV); 2) HV; or 3) HV with recommended Fol (HVNF) content (n=15/group). Dams were fed a RV diet during lactation and then switched to a high fat (RV with 60% fat) diet for 16 weeks. Dams fed the HV diet during pregnancy gained 30% more weight over time from weaning (p<0.05) and had increased PPAR‐γ (3.8‐fold, p<0.05) and PPAR‐α (1.2‐fold, p<0.05) mRNA expression in visceral adipose and liver respectively compared to RV dams. Reducing Fol to recommended quantities modulated these effects as HVNF dams did not gain weight over time and had similar PPAR‐γ and ‐α mRNA expression relative to RV dams. Food intake and muscle PPAR‐α /β expression was not affected by any dietary treatment during pregnancy. In conclusion, high vitamin content, perhaps due to folate alone, in the gestational diet increases the obesogenic phenotype of the mothers in later life.
Grant Funding Source: Supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institue of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes