High-saturated-fat diet induces gestational diabetes and placental vasculopathy in C57BL/6 mice.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a commonly encountered disorder of mid to late pregnancy that is characterized by hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and impaired glucose tolerance. Gestational diabetes mellitus is thought to be multifactorial in origin and derives from both genetic and environmental factors. However, the mechanisms underlying GDM are incompletely understood; and current GDM animal models do not appear to closely mimic the clinical situation in humans.

Intrauterine exposure to high saturated fat diet elevates risk of adult-onset chronic diseases in C57BL/6 mice.

Background: The developmental environment is thought to determine, in part, lifelong metabolic parameters and risk of adult disease. Effects of maternal malnutrition on fetal growth have been studied extensively, and the role of poor prenatal diet in elevating lifelong risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease has been well characterized (www.thebarkertheory.

Gestational high saturated fat diet alters C57BL/6 mouse perinatal skeletal formation.

Background: Our present work joins growing evidence that gestational environment (maternal nutrition, health, and chemical exposures) strongly influences prenatal development (www.thebarkertheory.org).