Beneficial Effect of Maternal Olive Oil Supplementation on Lipid Profile and Redox Status in Offspring of Obese Rats

Abstract

Maternal nutrition is an easily modifiable environmental factor that can affect fetal growth and development with potential long-term consequences. The search for new treatments based on medicinal plants has turned to find the beneficial effects of olive oil on the pathogenesis of maternal obesity. Here, we studied whether maternal supplementation with olive oil influences plasma and tissues lipid profile and oxidant/antioxidant status later in life. Female Wistar rats were fed control or cafeteria food, which was either supplemented or not with olive oil (5%) for 2 months before and during gestation. Pregnant rats and their offspring were also fed on similar diet. At the end of the procedure, biochemical parameters and oxidative stress (OS) markers were analyzed in offspring at 30 days and 90 days. Our results show that the cafeteria diet induced obesity with accumulation of adipose tissue lipids, associated with various metabolic disorders (plasma and tissue hyperlipidemia) and increased OS in offspring. Olive oil supplementation induced a modulation of OS, improving metabolic status. In conclusion, maternal olive oil supplementation displayed remarkable health benefits and can be a strategy against obesity and its complications in offspring in the long term.