Exposure to a high-fat diet during intrauterine life and post-birth causes cardiac histomorphometric changes in rats: A systematic review.

Unlabelled: Cardiac histomorphometric changes are conditions present as an adaptive response to increased cardiovascular demand, such as in obesity or the consumption of a high-fat diet. Epidemiologic studies show an increase in maternal obese individuals, with repercussions on offspring cardiovascular health.

Objective: The goal of this study was to systematically review studies that evaluated cardiac histomorphometric changes in rodents exposed to a high-fat diet.

Data Source: PubMed, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science and Lilacs.

Data Extraction: Animal species, percentage of dietary fat, period and time of exposure and main cardiac change results were extracted.

Data Analysis: A total of 1687 studies were found, and 20 met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. A maternal high-fat diet was started 3 to 4 weeks before mating in most (70%) of the studies. Nutritional manipulation of offspring was initiated during pregnancy and maintained until the end of lactation in most (45%) of the studies. The fat percentage of high-fat diets ranged between 20% and 62%. The studies showed increases in cardiomyocytes, left ventricle size, and whole heart hypertrophy. Some studies showed increased thickness of the middle intima layer of the aorta and atherosclerosis. Studies that maintained a high-fat diet after the lactation period also showed an increase in cardiac hypertrophy.

Conclusion: Maternal exposure to a hyperlipidic diet in the fetal stages of cardiac development causes cardiac hypertrophy in offspring. The high variation in the dietary fat and the difference in the time and period of exposure of the offspring to the high - fat diet suggest the high degree of sensitivity of the cardiac structure.