Impacts of maternal diet and exercise on offspring behavior and body weights

Human and animal studies indicate that maternal obesity can negatively impact aspects of metabolism and neurodevelopment in the offspring. Not known, however, is whether maternal exercise can alter these adverse outcomes. In this study, Long-Evans female rats were provided a high fat (60%; HFD) or control diet (CD) 44 days before mating and throughout gestation and lactation. Running wheels were available to half of each diet group during the gestational period only, resulting in four conditions: CD diet with (CDRW) or without (sedentary; CDSED) exercise, and HFD with (HFRW) or without (HFSED) exercise. Only male offspring (one per litter) were available for this study: they were put on control diet two weeks after weaning and examined using behavioral evaluations up to four months of age. Before weaning, offspring of CDRW dams weighed less than offspring from CDSED or HFD dams. After weaning, the lower weight in CDRW offspring generally persisted. Adult offspring from HFSED dams performed worse than the HFRW group in a Morris water maze during initial spatial training as well as reversal learning; memory was not impacted. No differences between groups were seen in tests of novel object recognition, social approach, or chocolate milk preference. Thus, maternal diet and exercise produced differential effects on body weights and cognitive behaviors in the offspring, and the data demonstrate a positive impact of maternal exercise on the offspring in that it ameliorated some deleterious behavioral effects of a maternal high fat diet.