Obesity and osteoporosis may have their origins in early postnatal life. This study was designed to evaluate whether flaxseed flour use during lactation period bears effect on body adiposity and skeletal structure of male rat pups at weaning. At birth, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control and experimental (FF) groups, whose dams were treated with control or flaxseed flour diet, respectively, during lactation. At 21 days of age, pups were weaned to assess body mass, length and composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The animals were then sacrificed to carry out analysis of serum profile, intra-abdominal adipocyte morphology and femur characteristics. Differences were considered significant when P<0.05. The FF group displayed the following characteristics (P<0.05): higher body mass, length, bone mineral content, bone area and concentrations of osteoprotegerin, osteocalcin and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; higher levels of stearic, α-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids and lower levels of arachidonic acid and cholesterol; smaller adipocyte area; and higher mass, epiphysis distance, diaphysis width, maximal load, break load, resilience and stiffness of femur. Flaxseed flour intake during lactation period promoted adipocyte hypertrophy down-regulation and contributed to pup bone quality at weaning.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of flaxseed flour in the intake on adiposity and femur structure of the lactating rats during the post-weaning period. After weaning, the lactating rats were divided into control (C, n = 6) and experimental (F, n = 6) groups treated with a diet containing flaxseed flour. Serum hormone and fatty acids composition, morphology of intra-abdominal adipocytes, computed tomography and biomechanical analyses of femur were determined. Food intake, body mass and hormone analysis have shown similar results. The F group showed the following (p < 0.05): lower arachidonic acid (-60%), total polyunsaturated fatty acids (-30%) and retroperitoneal adipocytes (-36%) area. Higher radiodensity of femoral head region (+29%) and higher maximum force (+18%), breaking strength (+18%) and rigidity (+31%). Fatty acid composition of flaxseed flour decreased the area of adipocytes and improved the bone quality, which may be associated with lower serum levels of arachidonic acid levels, during the post-weaning period.

The precocious interruption of lactation is a prime factor for developmental plasticity. Here we analyzed whether flour or flaxseed oil treatment contributes to body and brain mass in male rats subjected to early weaning. Pups were weaned for separation from their mother at 14 (early weaning, EW) and 21 days (control, C). At 21 days, some of the pups were evaluated (C21 v. EW21). After 21 days, control pups (C60) were fed a control diet. EW pups were divided into those fed a control diet (EWC60), those given flaxseed flour (EWFF60), and those given flaxseed oil (EWFO60) until 60 days. EW21 showed lower body and absolute brain mass and higher relative brain mass. At 60 days, EWC60 and EWFO60 had lower body mass. With regard to relative brain mass, EWC60 was heavier; EWFO60 had lower values compared with EWC60 and higher values compared with C60 and EWFF60. These results indicated that flaxseed flour, in comparison with flaxseed oil, contributes to brain development after EW.

Flaxseed flour has been described as an excellent alpha-linolenic acid source. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of flaxseed flour on body adiposity and bone health in rats fed a flaxseed flour diet during lactation until 90 days. At birth, male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to control (C) and experimental (FF) groups, whose dams were treated with a control or flaxseed flour diet, respectively, during lactation. At 21 days, pups were weaned and fed a control and experimental diet until 90 days. Food intake, body mass and length were evaluated during a 21-90 day period. At 90 days, composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, serum hormonal profile, intra-abdominal fat mass, and lumbar vertebra and femur analyses was determined. Differences were deemed significant at p < 0.05. The FF group displayed the following (P < 0.05): a higher total lean mass (+7%), a lower total (-16%) and intra-abdominal (-24%) fat mass, a smaller adipocyte area (-30%), a higher femoral mass (+5%), bone mineral density (+5%) and radiodensity (+20%), and a higher maximum force (+10%) and breaking strength (+11%). The flaxseed flour diet displayed functional properties related to body growth maintenance associated with a lower risk of developing metabolic alterations, obesity and bone fragility.

Objetivo: A proposta deste estudo foi investigar a composição óssea em ratos tratados com dieta suplementada com farinha de taro (Colocasia esculenta) até eles completarem 90 dias de idade. Métodos: No momento do desmame, os ratos foram divididos em grupo controle (C, n = 11) e experimental (T, n = 12) – composto por animais tratados com farinha de taro até os 90 dias de idade. Ingestão alimentar, massa e comprimento corporal foram avaliados semanalmente ao longo de todo o período experimental. Dimensões ósseas, bem como a densidade mineral óssea (DMO), conteúdo mineral ósseo (CMO), área óssea total e propriedades biomecânicas foram determinadas no final de 90 dias. Resultados: Grupo T apresentou elevados valores (P<0.05) para massa e comprimento corporal; DMO, CMO e área óssea da coluna vertebral; DMO na quarta vértebra lombar; massa femoral, distância entre as epífises, largura do ponto médio da diáfise, DMO, força máxima e concentrações séricas de osteocalcina, quando comparado ao grupo controle. Conclusões: A ingestão da farinha de taro apresentou efeito positivo na saúde óssea.