title: Assessment of body composition in Wistar rat offspring by DXA in relation to prenatal and postnatal nutritional manipulation.
abstract: This experimental study aims to investigate the impact of combinations of prenatal and postnatal food manipulation on body composition in rat offspring.
  
  
  
  On day 12 of gestation, 100 timed pregnant rats were randomized into two nutritional groups: standard laboratory and 50% starved. Pups born to starved mothers were subdivided, based on birthweight (BiW), into fetal growth restricted (FGR) and non-FGR. Pups were born on day 21, cross-fostered, then left undisturbed lactating until the 26th postnatal day when they underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) examination.
  
  
  
  Prenatally control-fed animals had a significantly greater body weight at 26 d postnatally than the prenatally starved groups, irrespective of their postnatal diet (P < 0.001). Postnatal control diet was associated with significantly increased abdominal and total fat in non-FGR compared to FGR rats (P < 0.001). non-FGR/CONTROL rats showed higher values of abdominal fat than prenatally starved animals that were starved postnatally irrespective of their birth weight (P < 0.001). Postnatal control diet significantly increased total bone mineral content (BMC), head BMC, head area, abdominal BMC in non-FGR compared to FGR rats (P < 0.001).
  
  
  
  Interaction between prenatal and postnatal nutrition affects growth, abdominal adiposity, and bone accrual in Wistar rats' offspring at 26 d of life.
authors.affiliation: Embryocare, Fetal Medicine Unit, Athens, Greece.|First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Makarios
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eleftheriades
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faghihi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Homeira
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Vafaei
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Research of the Musculoskeletal System, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Ismene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dontas
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Hospital of Arta, Arta, Greece.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vaggos
authors.affiliation: Greek Ministry of Reconstruction of Production, Environment and Energy, Division of Animal Welfare, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marinou
authors.affiliation: Childhood Obesity Clinic, First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pervanidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Pathology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK and UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: Neil J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sebire
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens School of Medicine, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.|Childhood Obesity Clinic, First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Chrousos
authors.affiliation: Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kypros H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D050154:Adiposity; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001724:Birth Weight; D001823:Body Composition; D003720:Densitometry / Q000379:methods*; D059305:Diet, High-Fat; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar