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The effect of overnourishing singleton-bearing adult ewes on nutrient partitioning to the gravid uterus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Jacqueline M. Wallace ,
John S. Milne  and
Raymond P. Aitken
Jacqueline M. Wallace*
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, UK
John S. Milne
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, UK
Raymond P. Aitken
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, UK
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Jacqueline M. Wallace, fax +44 1224 716622, email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Overnourishing the singleton-bearing adolescent sheep throughout pregnancy promotes maternal tissue synthesis at the expense of the nutrient requirements of the gravid uterus. Consequently, the growth of the placenta is impaired and results in the premature delivery of low-birth-weight lambs relative to moderately fed adolescents of equivalent age. To establish if this phenomenon is unique to the growing animal, singleton pregnancies to a single sire were established by embryo transfer into primiparous adult ewes who had attained the normal mature body size for their genotype. Thereafter ewes were offered a maintenance or a high level of a complete diet throughout gestation. High maternal intakes resulted in elevated maternal insulin, no significant change in growth hormone or glucose, and attenuated progesterone and NEFA concentrations. Live weight gain during the first 93 d of gestation was 48 and 244 g/d, and adiposity score at term was 2·4 and 3·7 in the maintenance and high groups, respectively (P<0·001). In spite of achieving levels of adiposity similar to overnourished adolescents, placental (477 (sem 30) v. 518 (sem 41) g) and fetal (5190 (sem 320) v. 5420 (sem 250) g) weights were equivalent in maintenance and high groups. Gestation length was shorter (P<0·01) and colostrum yield at parturition lower (P<0·05) in high v. maintenance dams. Thus, adult sheep appear to be relatively insensitive to the oversupply of nutrients during pregnancy and have the ability to meet the nutrient requirements for normal conceptus growth in spite of their increased adiposity.

Keywords

PregnancyNutrient partitioningFetusPlacentaBody composition
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 94 , Issue 4 , October 2005 , pp. 533 - 539
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2005

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