Effects of maternal controlled exercise on offspring adiposity and glucose tolerance

Abstract

While metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes are costly and deadly to the current population, they are also extremely detrimental to the next generation. Much of the current literature focuses on the negative impact of poor maternal choices on offspring disease, while there is little work examining maternal behaviors that may improve offspring health. Research has shown that voluntary maternal exercise in mouse models improves metabolic function in offspring. In this study, we hypothesized that controlled maternal exercise in a mouse model will effect positive change on offspring obesity and glucose homeostasis. Female mice were separated into three groups: home cage, sedentary, and exercise. The sedentary home cage group was not removed from the home cage, while the sedentary wheel group was removed from the cage and placed in an immobile wheel apparatus. The exercise group was removed from the home cage and run on the same wheel apparatus but with the motor activated at 5–10 m/min for 1 h/d prior to and during pregnancy. Offspring were subjected to oral glucose tolerance testing and body composition analysis. There was no significant difference in offspring glucose tolerance or body composition as a consequence of the maternal exercise intervention compared to the sedentary wheel group. There were no marked negative consequences of the maternal controlled exercise intervention. Further research should clarify the potential advantages of the controlled exercise model and improve experimental techniques to facilitate translation of this research to human applications.

Maternal Exercise Prior to and during Gestation Induces Sex-Specific Alterations in the Mouse Placenta

“…More specifically, at the gene level, we found a significant reduction in the expression of Hsd3β, an enzyme that has an important role in steroid production, in male placentas with maternal EX. These results are in line with other clinical studies and animal models that have shown improved circulating lipids and lipid metabolism within adipose and liver tissue of offspring with maternal EX [24,[42][43][44]. Previous studies have also shown sex differences in lipid metabolism between males and females.…”