A high-fat diet during pregnancy and nursing may lead to the child having an early onset of puberty and subsequent adulthood obesity, according to a new animal study. The results were presented Monday, June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
An early first menstrual period, often used as a marker for early-onset puberty in girls is a risk factor for obesity, insulin resistance, teenage depression, and breast cancer in adulthood, said Deborah Sloboda, PhD, lead author of the study. She is a researcher at The Liggins Institute of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
"Other research suggests that a combination of prenatal and postnatal influences in girls can affect the onset of menarche [menstruation]," Sloboda said.
She and her colleagues therefore studied how prenatal nutrition and nutrition during childhood interact to alter reproductive maturation. The study was done in rats.
The investigators fed pregnant rats a high-fat diet throughout pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding). Control rats received a regular diet of rat chow. After weaning from their mother's milk, the offspring ate either regular chow or a high-fat diet. Onset of puberty was determined using established techniques. The researchers also evaluated the offspring as adults in regard to body fat composition and blood levels of sex hormones.