title: Increased susceptibility to metabolic alterations in young adult females exposed to early malnutrition.
abstract: Early malnutrition during gestation and lactation modifies growth and metabolism permanently. Follow up studies using a nutritional rehabilitation protocol have reported that early malnourished rats exhibit hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia, suggesting that the effects of early malnutrition are permanent and produce a "programming" effect on metabolism. Deleterious effects have mainly been observed when early-malnutrition is followed by a high-carbohydrate or a high-fat diet. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether following a balanced diet subsequent to malnutrition can deter the expression of metabolic disease and lead rats to exhibit metabolic responses, similar to those of well-nourished controls. Young rats, born from dams malnourished during gestation and lactation with a low protein diet, were provided with a regular balanced chow diet upon weaning. At 90 days of age, the effects of rehabilitation were determined under three different feeding conditions: ad libitum, fasting or fasting-reefed satiated.Early-malnourished rats showed an increased rate of body weight gain. Males under ad libitum conditions showed an elevated concentration of hepatic glycogen and low values of insulin. In the fasting-reefed satiated condition, only early-malnourished females showed an alteration in glucose response and glucagon level, compared with their well-nourished controls. Data indicate that a balanced diet along life after early malnutrition can mask the expression of metabolic disorders and that a metabolic challenges due to a prolonged fasting and reefed state unmask metabolic deficiencies in early-malnourished females.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Anatomía, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, DF 04510.
authors.forename: María del Carmen
authors.initials: Mdel C
authors.lastname: Miñana-Solis
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escobar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001835:Body Weight; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted / Q000009:adverse effects; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005934:Glucagon / Q000097:blood; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008112:Liver Glycogen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified; D007328:Insulin; D008112:Liver Glycogen; D014280:Triglycerides; D005934:Glucagon