Fructose Consumption During Pregnancy Influences Milk Lipid Composition and Offspring Lipid Profiles in Guinea Pigs

The Impact of Excessive Fructose Intake on Adipose Tissue and the Development of Childhood Obesity

Worldwide, childhood obesity cases continue to rise, and its prevalence is known to increase the risk of non-communicable diseases typically found in adults, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Thus, comprehending its multiple causes to build healthier approaches and revert this scenario is urgent. Obesity development is strongly associated with high fructose intake since the excessive consumption of this highly lipogenic sugar leads to white fat accumulation and causes white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammation, oxidative stress, and dysregulated adipokine release. Unfortunately, the global consumption of fructose has increased dramatically in recent years, which is associated with the fact that fructose is not always evident to consumers, as it is commonly added as a sweetener in food and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Therefore, here, we discuss the impact of excessive fructose intake on adipose tissue biology, its contribution to childhood obesity, and current strategies for reducing high fructose and/or free sugar intake. To achieve such reductions, we conclude that it is important that the population has access to reliable information about food ingredients via food labels. Consumers also need scientific education to understand potential health risks to themselves and their children.

Gestational and Developmental Contributors of Pediatric MASLD

Pediatric metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is common and can be seen as early as in utero. A growing body of literature suggests that gestational and early life exposures modify the risk of MASLD development in children. These include maternal risk factors, such as poor cardiometabolic health (e.g., obesity, gestational diabetes, rapid weight gain during pregnancy, and MASLD), as well as periconceptional dietary exposures, degree of physical activity, intestinal microbiome, and smoking. Paternal factors, such as diet and obesity, also appear to play a role. Beyond gestation, early life dietary exposures, as well as the rate of infant weight gain, may further modify the risk of future MASLD development. The mechanisms linking parental health and environmental exposures to pediatric MASLD are complex and not entirely understood. In conclusion, investigating gestational and developmental contributors to MASLD is critical and may identify future interventional targets for disease prevention.

Maternal Vitamin C Intake during Pregnancy Influences Long-Term Offspring Growth with Timing- and Sex-Specific Effects in Guinea Pigs

Our previous work in guinea pigs revealed that low vitamin C intake during preconception and pregnancy adversely affects fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and foetal and neonatal growth in a sex-dependent manner. To investigate the long-term impact on offspring, we monitored their growth from birth to adolescence (four months), recorded organ weights at childhood equivalence (28 days) and adolescence, and assessed physiological parameters like oral glucose tolerance and basal cortisol concentrations. We also investigated the effects of the timing of maternal vitamin C restriction (early vs. late gestation) on pregnancy outcomes and the health consequences for offspring. Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs were fed an optimal (900 mg/kg feed) or low (100 mg/kg feed) vitamin C diet ad libitum during preconception. Pregnant dams were then randomised into four feeding regimens: consistently optimal, consistently low, low during early pregnancy, or low during late pregnancy. We found that low maternal vitamin C intake during early pregnancy accelerated foetal and neonatal growth in female offspring and altered glucose homeostasis in the offspring of both sexes at an age equivalent to early childhood. Conversely, low maternal vitamin C intake during late pregnancy resulted in foetal growth restriction and reduced weight gain in male offspring throughout their lifespan. We conclude that altered vitamin C during development has long-lasting, sex-specific consequences for offspring and that the timing of vitamin C depletion is also critical, with low levels during early development being associated with the development of a metabolic syndrome-related phenotype, while later deprivation appears to be linked to a growth-faltering phenotype.

Effect of high-fructose consumption in pregnancy on the bone growth of offspring rats

Growing evidence suggests that bone health is programmed in early life. Maternal diet may influence the skeletal development of offspring. We aimed to determine the possible effects of high-fructose intake during pregnancy on different aspects of long bone morphology in the offspring of rats and to initially explore the possible mechanisms. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups and intragastrically administered the same dose of distilled water (CON, n = 12), 20 g/kg/day glucose (GLU, n = 12), 10 g/kg/day fructose (LFRU, n = 12), or 20 g/kg/day fructose (HFRU, n = 12) for 21 days during gestation. Computed tomography was used to analyze the cortical and cancellous bones of the distal femur of the offspring rats, and circulating bone metabolic biomarkers were measured using enzyme immunoassay. The results showed that high-fructose intake during pregnancy could decrease body weight, impair glucose metabolism, and increase serum leptin and uric acid in offspring. The offspring in the HFRU group had higher levels of the N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and the C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX). The bone mean density (BMD), the total cross-sectional area inside the periosteal envelope (Tt.Ar), cortical bone area (Ct.Ar), medullary (or marrow) area (Ma.Ar), and trabecular mean density of the offspring in the HFRU group were lower than those in the CON group. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (Trap) staining showed that high-fructose intake during pregnancy could increase the number of osteoclasts and increase the absorption area. Our results suggested that excessive fructose intake during pregnancy could inhibit skeletal development in offspring. Thus, attention to fructose intake during pregnancy is important for bone development in offspring.

Maternal Fructose Intake, Programmed Mitochondrial Function and Predisposition to Adult Disease

Fructose consumption is now recognised as a major risk factor in the development of metabolic diseases, such as hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity. In addition to environmental, social, and genetic factors, an unfavourable intrauterine environment is now also recognised as an important factor in the progression of, or susceptibility to, metabolic disease during adulthood. Developmental trajectory in the short term, in response to nutrient restriction or excessive nutrient availability, may promote adaptation that serves to maintain organ functionality necessary for immediate survival and foetal development. Consequently, this may lead to decreased function of organ systems when presented with an unfavourable neonatal, adolescent and/or adult nutritional environment. These early events may exacerbate susceptibility to later-life disease since sub-optimal maternal nutrition increases the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in future generations. Earlier dietary interventions, implemented in pregnant mothers or those considering pregnancy, may have added benefit. Although, the mechanisms by which maternal diets high in fructose and the vertical transmission of maternal metabolic phenotype may lead to the predisposition to adult disease are poorly understood. In this review, we will discuss the potential contribution of excessive fructose intake during pregnancy and how this may lead to developmental reprogramming of mitochondrial function and predisposition to metabolic disease in offspring.

Learning and memory impairment and transcriptomic profile in hippocampus of offspring after maternal fructose exposure during gestation and lactation

Increased fructose intake is a global issue, especially in mothers. Maternal fructose exposure during gestation and lactation can affect learning and memory in offspring; however, the detailed mechanism is still unknown. The hippocampus is a mind locale liable for learning and memory. Here, we established a maternal high-fructose diet model by administering 13% and 40% fructose water, applied the Morris Water Maze test on postnatal day 60 offspring, and performed full-length RNA sequencing using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies platform to explore the changes in gene expression in the hippocampus. The results showed that learning and memory in offspring were negatively affected. Compared with the control group, 369 differentially expressed transcripts (DETs) were identified in the 13% fructose group, and 501 DETs were identified in the 40% fructose group. Gene Ontology enriched term and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enriched pathway analyses identified several terms and pathways related to brain development and cognitive function. Furthermore, we confirmed that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was down-regulated and neuron degeneration was enhanced. In summary, our results indicate that maternal fructose exposure during gestation and lactation can impair learning and memory in offspring and affect brain function at the transcriptome level.

Maternal High-Fructose Intake Activates Myogenic Program in Fetal Brown Fat and Predisposes Offspring to Diet-Induced Metabolic Dysfunctions in Adulthood

Excess dietary fructose intake is a major public health concern due to its deleterious effect to cause various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. However, little is known about the effects of high-fructose consumption during pregnancy on offspring metabolic health in adulthood. Here, we show that maternal consumption of 20% (w/v) fructose water during pregnancy does not alter the metabolic balance of offspring with a chow diet, but predisposes them to obesity, fatty liver, and insulin resistance when challenged by a high-fat diet. Mechanistically, diet-induced brown fat reprogramming and global energy expenditure in offspring of fructose-fed dams are impaired. RNA-seq analysis of the fetal brown fat tissue reveals that the myogenic pathway is predominantly upregulated in the fructose-treated group. Meanwhile, circulating fructose level is found to be significantly elevated in both fructose-fed dams and their fetuses. Importantly fructose gavage also acutely activates the myogenic program in mice brown fat. Together, our data suggest that maternal high-fructose intake impairs fetal brown fat development, resultantly attenuates diet-induced thermogenesis and causes metabolic disorders in adult offspring probably through inducing myogenic signature in brown fat at the fetal stage.

The Impact of Gut Microbiome on Maternal Fructose Intake-Induced Developmental Programming of Adult Disease

Excessive or insufficient maternal nutrition can influence fetal development and the susceptibility of offspring to adult disease. As eating a fructose-rich diet is becoming more common, the effects of maternal fructose intake on offspring health is of increasing relevance. The gut is required to process fructose, and a high-fructose diet can alter the gut microbiome, resulting in gut dysbiosis and metabolic disorders. Current evidence from animal models has revealed that maternal fructose consumption causes various components of metabolic syndrome in adult offspring, while little is known about how gut microbiome is implicated in fructose-induced developmental programming and the consequential risks for developing chronic disease in offspring. This review will first summarize the current evidence supporting the link between fructose and developmental programming of adult diseases. This will be followed by presenting how gut microbiota links to common mechanisms underlying fructose-induced developmental programming. We also provide an overview of the reprogramming effects of gut microbiota-targeted therapy on fructose-induced developmental programming and how this approach may prevent adult-onset disease. Using gut microbiota-targeted therapy to prevent maternal fructose diet-induced developmental programming, we have the potential to mitigate the global burden of fructose-related disorders.

Maternal Fructose Intake Causes Developmental Reprogramming of Hepatic Mitochondrial Catalytic Activity and Lipid Metabolism in Weanling and Young Adult Offspring

Excess dietary fructose is a major public health concern, yet little is known about its influence on offspring development and later-life disease when consumed in excess during pregnancy. To determine whether increased maternal fructose intake could have long-term consequences on offspring health, we investigated the effects of 10% w/v fructose water intake during preconception and pregnancy in guinea pigs. Female Dunkin Hartley guinea pigs were fed a control diet (CD) or fructose diet (FD; providing 16% of total daily caloric intake) ad libitum 60 days prior to mating and throughout gestation. Dietary interventions ceased at day of delivery. Offspring were culled at day 21 (D21) (weaning) and at 4 months (4 M) (young adult). Fetal exposure to excess maternal fructose intake significantly increased male and female triglycerides at D21 and 4 M and circulating palmitoleic acid and total omega-7 through day 0 (D0) to 4 M. Proteomic and functional analysis of significantly differentially expressed proteins revealed that FD offspring (D21 and 4 M) had significantly increased mitochondrial metabolic activities of β-oxidation, electron transport chain (ETC) and oxidative phosphorylation and reactive oxygen species production compared to the CD offspring. Western blotting analysis of both FD offspring validated the increased protein abundances of mitochondrial ETC complex II and IV, SREBP-1c and FAS, whereas VDAC1 expression was higher at D21 but lower at 4 M. We provide evidence demonstrating offspring programmed hepatic mitochondrial metabolism and de novo lipogenesis following excess maternal fructose exposure. These underlying asymptomatic programmed pathways may lead to a predisposition to metabolic dysfunction later in life.

Pregnancy Is Enough to Provoke Deleterious Effects in Descendants of Fructose-Fed Mothers and Their Fetuses

The role of fructose in the global obesity and metabolic syndrome epidemic is widely recognized. However, its consumption is allowed during pregnancy. We have previously demonstrated that maternal fructose intake in rats induces detrimental effects in fetuses. However, these effects only appeared in adult descendants after a re-exposure to fructose. Pregnancy is a physiological state that leads to profound changes in metabolism and hormone response. Therefore, we wanted to establish if pregnancy in the progeny of fructose-fed mothers was also able to provoke an unhealthy situation. Pregnant rats from fructose-fed mothers (10% w/v) subjected (FF) or not (FC) to a fructose supplementation were studied and compared to pregnant control rats (CC). An OGTT was performed on the 20th day of gestation, and they were sacrificed on the 21st day. Plasma and tissues from mothers and fetuses were analyzed. Although FF mothers showed higher AUC insulin values after OGTT in comparison to FC and CC rats, ISI was lower and leptinemia was higher in FC and FF rats than in the CC group. Accordingly, lipid accretion was observed both in liver and placenta in the FC and FF groups. Interestingly, fetuses from FC and FF mothers also showed the same profile observed in their mothers on lipid accumulation, leptinemia, and ISI. Moreover, hepatic lipid peroxidation was even more augmented in fetuses from FC dams than those of FF mothers. Maternal fructose intake produces in female progeny changes that alter their own pregnancy, leading to deleterious effects in their fetuses.

Maternal Fructose Diet-Induced Developmental Programming

Developmental programming of chronic diseases by perinatal exposures/events is the basic tenet of the developmental origins hypothesis of adult disease (DOHaD). With consumption of fructose becoming more common in the diet, the effect of fructose exposure during pregnancy and lactation is of increasing relevance. Human studies have identified a clear effect of fructose consumption on maternal health, but little is known of the direct or indirect effects on offspring. Animal models have been utilized to evaluate this concept and an association between maternal fructose and offspring chronic disease, including hypertension and metabolic syndrome. This review will address the mechanisms of developmental programming by maternal fructose and potential options for intervention.