RESPONSES OF BODY COMPOSITION AND MINERAL CONTENT RELATED TO MATERNAL NUTRITIONAL STATUS

FERREIRA MONTEIRO A; SUAREZ C; RODRIGUEZ¨P; ZENI SN; FRIEDMAN S

San Francisco, USA

Congreso; Experimental Biology 2006; 2006

FASEB

Preceding studies have shown a strong correlation between maternal nutritional status as an important predictor of morbidity in mothers and pups. In order to assess the effect of  long term eucaloric diets, with different carbohydrate to fat (CH:F) calorie ratio with either adequate (0.6%) or low (0.3%) calcium content on body composition and bone mineral content, thirty rats were evaluated at the end of the lactation period. At weanling, female Wistar rats were randomly assigned one of the following diets: a) CH: F = 1:1; 0.6%; b) 3:1 0,6 % and c) 3:1 0,3%. At day=70, rats were mated and at weanling mothers (M) and pups (P) were studied. Body weights (BW), bone mineral content (BMC) by DEXA Lunar, percentage of body fat (% BF) by chemical method (AOAC) and serum leptin (ELISA) were measured. Results are expressed as mean + SD: Diet   % BF BMC/BW % Leptin (ng/mL) 1:1  0,6 % Ca M 7.49  ±  5.4 1.18 ±   0.38  0.75 ±  0.9 P 11.8  ± 3.2 0.4 ±   0.24 0.79 ±  0.5 3:1  0,6 % Ca M 3.77 ±   0.86 1.1 ±   0.32 0.49 ±  0.4 P 7.0  ±  2.1 ** 0.4 ±    0.14 0.39 ±  0.4 3:1  0,3 % Ca M 4.82  ±   1.9 0.7 ±   0.24 ** 0.63  ± 0.6 P 8.6  ±  2.3 ** 0.34 ±  0.11 0.94 ±   0.5 ANOVA, Dunnett test ** P < 0,01 Dietary fat restriction produced a decreased in BF in all groups, being significant in pups. BMC was reduced in mothers eating low Ca diet. Leptin levels remained unchanged. In pups, the decreased in BF content did not correlate with serum leptin levels; taken together, these findings suggest that leptin may act improving lipid tissue development and involved in body mineral content.   Awarded by UBACyT O 004.