| Abstract |
Background:Vitamin B12 supplementation to pregnant Indian mothers has attracted little attention despite high prevalence of its deficiency among them. Werecently reported that vitamin B12 rehabilitation during pregnancy and lactationmitigated the changes in growth, muscle development, glucose tolerance and metabolism in the offspring born to B12 restricted Wistarrat dams. We now report the prevention/reversibility by rehabilitation of the effects caused by chronic maternal dietary vitamin B12restriction on body fat %, visceral adiposity and lipid metabolism in Wistar rat offspring. Methods: Vitamin B12 restricted, pregnant rat dams were rehabilitated with control diet from conception or parturition and their offspring from weaning. Whereas offspring born to some vitamin B12 restricted rat dams were weaned on to control diet. Body composition was determined in dams before mating and in male offspring at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of their age. Biochemical parameters like lipid profile, plasma and tissue adipocytokine levels, activity of fatty-acid-synthase & acetyl-CoA-carboxylase and plasma cortisol levels were analyzed. Results:Maternal vitamin B12 restriction increased body fat % (especially abdominal adiposity), altered lipid metabolism (lipid profile, plasma and tissue adipocytokine levels, activities of fatty-acid-synthase and acetyl-CoA-carboxylase) and increased the glucocorticoidstress in B12 restricted offspring. While rehabilitation from conception restored the changes to controls, rehabilitation from parturition and weaning corrected the changes only partially. Conclusion:The results appear to suggest that rehabilitation may alleviate changes in body fat%, visceral adiposity and lipid metabolism induced by maternal vitamin B12 restriction in Wistar rat offspring.
KEYWORDS:Vitamin B12, restriction, rehabilitation, lipid metabolism, adipocytokines, fetal programming |
