Table 4.
Study outcomes among male offspring according to the maternal diet (control or high-fat) and the gavage treatment during pregnancy [fish oil or control (water)].
| Time | Maternal control diet | Maternal high-fat diet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Fish oil | Control | Fish oil | |||
| n | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | ||
| Pubertal onset (days) | 43.3 ± 0.6 | 41.3 ± 0.6 | 43.4 ± 0.6 | 42.2 ± 0.5 | ||
| Auxology | 24 d | Weaning weight (g) | 48 ± 3 | 54 ± 2 | 54 ± 3 | 61 ± 3 |
| 90 d | Total body fat (%) | 22.9 ± 1.1 | 24.2 ± 1.2 | 29.3 ± 1.0†† | 27.0 ± 1.4 | |
| Fat mass to lean mass ratio | 0.30 ± 0.02 | 0.32 ± 0.02 | 0.42 ± 0.02†† | 0.38 ± 0.03 | ||
| Bone mineral density (g/cm2) | 0.154 ± 0.002 | 0.156 ± 0.002 | 0.158 ± 0.002 | 0.161 ± 0.002 | ||
| 108 d | Weight (g) | 495 ± 19 | 541 ± 15 | 593 ± 22† | 593 ± 19 | |
| Length (mm) | 258 ± 2 | 258 ± 2 | 266 ± 3 | 262 ± 2 | ||
| 110 d | Liver weight (% body weight) | 2.85 ± 0.09 | 3.01 ± 0.06 | 3.01 ± 0.09 | 2.97 ± 0.07 | |
| Gonadal fat (% body weight) | 1.77 ± 0.011 | 2.15 ± 0.12 | 2.40 ± 0.13†† | 2.27 ± 0.18 | ||
| Retroperitoneal fat (% body weight) | 1.98 ± 0.30 | 2.31 ± 0.16 | 3.09 ± 0.25†† | 2.68 ± 0.21 | ||
| Diet | 108 d | Energy intake (kcal/day) | 85 ± 3 | 92 ± 2 | 101 ± 3† | 95 ± 4 |
| Energy intake per body weight (kcal/g/day) | 0.17 ± 0.01 | 0.17 ± 0.01 | 0.17 ± 0.01 | 0.16 ± 0.01 | ||
| Cumulative food intake (g) | 705 ± 22 | 751 ± 13 | 794 ± 17† | 795 ± 31 | ||
“Cumulative food intake” reflects the weight of all food consumed by an individual rat since weaning. Data are means ± standard errors. †p < 0.05 and ††p < 0.01 for a maternal diet effect among the offspring of dams that received control gavage. Note that all study groups consisted of 5 to 7 separate litters. Time represents the age of the animals in days.