Maternal Consumption of a Cafeteria Diet during Lactation Leads to Altered Diet-Induced Thermogenesis in Descendants after Exposure to a Western Diet in Adulthood.

This study investigates the ability of a maternal cafeteria diet during lactation to program brown adipose tissue (BAT) metabolic responses to an obesogenic diet re-exposure in the adult offspring after consuming a standard diet (SD). Nursing rats were fed an SD or a cafeteria diet during lactation. Their offspring (O-C and O-CAF, respectively) were weaned onto an SD, and at 16 weeks of age they were switched to a Western diet until week 24. Gene and protein expression in BAT were measured at PN22 and at 24 weeks. At PN22, compared to controls, O-CAF rats displayed lower mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (), and higher expression of genes related to lipolysis (), fatty acid uptake (), and oxidation (. Additionally, O-CAF animals displayed increased mRNA levels of , , and . In adulthood, these animals maintained lower mRNA levels of lipogenesis-related genes (, , ), but displayed lower expression of genes related to fatty acid uptake (), fatty acid oxidation (), lipolysis (), , , and . Thus, exposure to an obesogenic diet in nursing rats can affect long-term lipid metabolism and attenuate diet-induced thermogenesis in BAT in response to a new obesogenic dietary challenge later in life.