Gestation Food Restriction and Refeeding Compensate Maternal Energy Status and Alleviate Metabolic Consequences in Juvenile Offspring in a Rabbit Model.

Nutritional status during gestation can influence mother and offspring metabolism. Undernutrition in pregnancy affects women in both western and developing countries, and it is associated with a high prevalence of chronic diseases in later life. The present work was conducted in the rabbit model, as a longitudinal study, to examine the effect of food restriction during early and mid-gestation, and re-feeding ad libitum until the end of pregnancy on metabolic status and body reserves of mother and, its association with development and metabolism of fetuses and female offspring to the juvenile stage.