Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T18:06:21.087Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Body composition and fat distribution during the first 2 weeks of gestation in ad lib.-fed and energy-restricted rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2008

Annica Sohlström ,
Nazma Kabir ,
Aija Sadurskis  and
Elisabet Forsum
Annica Sohlström
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital F60, NOVUM, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
Nazma Kabir
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital F60, NOVUM, S-141 86 Huddinge, Sweden
Aija Sadurskis
Affiliation:
Department of Metabolic Research, Wenner-Gren Institute, University of Stockholm, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
Elisabet Forsum
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, University of Uppsala, Dag Harnmarskjölds väg 21, S-752 37 Uppsala, Sweden
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Knowledge about changes in body composition during gestation is of interest when estimating energy requirements during pregnancy, and relevant since reproduction is often surprisingly well maintained in malnourished females. Due to difficulties in conducting such studies in humans, studies in rats are of interest. Therefore, maternal retention of fat and fat-free weight was estimated in rats during the first 2 weeks of gestation and during a corresponding time period in virgin controls. Groups fed ad lib. or 70 % of ad lib. intake during the 4 weeks preceding conception and during gestation were studied. Retention was estimated by comparing pregnant and virgin rats with rats killed at the time of conception. Body fat was analysed chemically and fat-free weight was body weight minus body fat. Each rat was divided into twelve to fourteen parts and the fat content of each part was analysed. Pregnant ad lib.-fed rats retained more fat and fat-free weight than did virgin ad lib.-fed controls. In the energy-restricted group the pregnant rats retained more fat-free weight while virgin rats retained slightly more fat than did pregnant rats. The difference between pregnant and virgin rats with respect to the amount of fat in the different body parts was small in both feeding groups. Thus, the statement that fat stored at specific sites in the maternal body represents an important source of energy for use during lactation was not supported. The findings suggest that pregnancy stimulates growth of the maternal body and that chronic moderate energy restriction curtails this growth.

Keywords

Body compositionEnergy restrictionFat distributionGrowthGestationRat
Type
Effects of energy restriction on body composition in pregenat rats
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 71 , Issue 3 , March 1994 , pp. 317 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1994

References

REFERENCES

American Institute of Nutrition (1977). Report of the American Institute of Nutrition ad hoc Committee on Standards for Nutrition Studies. Journal of Nutrition 107, 134–1348.Google Scholar
Anderson, G. D., Ahokas, R. A., Lipshitz, J. & Dilts, P. V. (1980). Effect of maternal dietary restriction during pregnancy on maternal weight gain and fetal birth weight in the rat. Journal of Nutrition 110, 883–890.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Armitage, P. (1971). Statistical Methods in Medical Research, pp. 116126, 147–166. New York: Halsted Press, John Wiley & Sons Inc.Google Scholar
Briend, A. (1985). Do maternal energy reserves limit fetal growth? Lancet i, 138–140.Google Scholar
Coward, W. A., Paul, A. A. & Prentice, A. M. (1984). The impact of malnutrition on human lactation: observations from community studies. Federation Proceedings 43, 2432–2437.Google ScholarPubMed
Forsum, E., Kabir, N., Sadurskis, A. & Westerterp, K. (1992). Total energy expenditure of healthy Swedish women during pregnancy and lactation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 56, 334–342.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Forsum, E., Sadurskis, A. & Wager, J. (1988). Resting metabolic rate and body composition of healthy Swedish women during pregnancy. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 47, 942–947.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldberg, G. R., Prentice, A. M., Coward, W. A., Davis, H. L., Murgatroyd, P. R., Sawyer, M. B., Ashford, J. & Black, A. E. (1991). Longitudinal assessment of the compartments of energy balance in well-nourished lactating women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54, 788–798.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonzalez-Cossio, T. & Delgado, H. (1991). Functional consequences of maternal malnutrition. World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics 64, 139–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hammond, J. (1944). Physiological factors affecting birth weight. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2, 8–13.Google Scholar
Hamosh, M., Clary, T. R., Chernich, S. S. & Scow, R. O. (1970). Lipoprotein lipase activity of adipose and mammary tissue and plasma triglyceride in pregnant and lactating rats. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 210, 473–482.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hytten, F. E. (1980). Weight gain in pregnancy. In Clinical Physiology in Obstetrics, pp. 193–233 [ Hytten, F. E. and Chamberlain, G., editors]. London: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Kirk, R. E. (1966). Experimental design. In Procedures for the Behavioral Science, pp. 179–184. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, Inc.Google Scholar
Knopp, R. H., Sandek, C. D., Arky, R. A. & O'Sullivan, J. B. (1973). Two phases of adipose tissue metabolism in pregnancy: maternal adaptation for fetal growth. Endocrinology 92, 984–988.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langhoff-Roos, J., Lindmark, G. & Gebre-Medhin, M. (1987). Maternal fat stores and fat accretion during pregnancy in relation to infant birthweight. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 94, 1170–1177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lederman, S. A. & Rosso, P. (1981). Effects of obesity, food restriction and pregnancy on fetal and maternal weight and body composition in rats. Journal of Nutrition 111, 2162–2171.Google Scholar
Naismith, D. J., Richardson, D. P. & Pritchard, A. E. (1982). The utilization of protein and energy during lactation in the rat, with particular regard to the use of fat accumulated in pregnancy. British Journal of Nutrition 48, 433–441.Google Scholar
Rebuffe-Scrive, M., Enk, L., Crona, N., Lonnroth, P., Abrahamsson, L., Smith, U. & Bjorntorp, P. (1985). Fat cell metabolism in different regions in women. Effect of menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation. Journal of Clinical Investigation 75, 1973–1976.Google Scholar
Sadurskis, A., Kabir, N., Wager, J. & Forsum, E. (1988). Energy metabolism, body composition, and milk production in healthy Swedish women during lactation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 48, 4449.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sadurskis, A., Sohlstrom, A., Kabir, N. & Forsum, E. (1991). Energy restriction and the partitioning of energy between the costs of reproduction in rats in relation to growth of the progeny. Journal of Nutrition 121, 1798–1810.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snedecor, G. W. & Cochran, W. G. (1973). Statistical Methods, pp. 272–275, 299–338. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.Google Scholar
Spray, C. M. (1950). A study of some aspects of reproduction by means of chemical analysis. British Journal of Nutrition 4, 354–360.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steingrimsdottir, L., Greenwood, M. R. C. & Brasel, J. A. (1980). Effect of pregnancy, lactation and a high-fat diet on adipose tissue of Osborne-Mendel rats. Journal of Nutrition 110, 600–609.Google Scholar
Stini, W. A. (1978). Early nutrition, growth, disease and human longevity. Nutrition and Cancer 1, 31–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willett, W. (1989). The search for the causes of breast and colon cancer. Nature 338, 389–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (1985). Energy and Protein Requirements. Technical Report Series no. 124. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Young, M. C. & Rasmussen, K. M. (1985). Effect of varying degrees of chronic dietary restriction in rat dams on repro ductive and lactational performance and body composition in dams and their pups. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 41, 979–987.Google Scholar