The Effects of High-Fat Diet Exposure in Utero on the Obesogenic and Diabetogenic Traits through Epigenetic Changes in Adiponectin and Leptin Gene Expression for Multiple Generations in Female Mice

In mice, exposure to a high-fat diet during pregnancy induces epigenetic alterations in genes encoding leptin and adiponectin.

“Masuyama et al. demonstrated in mice that exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy induces epigenetic alterations in genes encoding the adipokines leptin and adiponectin, key regulators of energy balance and insulin sensitivity.”

Both maternal undernutrition and overnutrition can induce heritable epigenetic modifications affecting energy metabolism, thereby perpetuating metabolic dysfunction across generations.

“Together, these findings provide compelling evidence that both maternal undernutrition and overnutrition can induce heritable epigenetic modifications affecting energy metabolism, thereby perpetuating metabolic dysfunction across generations.”

Parental health and diet, not only during pregnancy but also prior to conception, play a crucial role in shaping disease susceptibility across generations.

“The concept of transgenerational inheritance thus expands the traditional view of fetal programming, emphasizing that parental health and diet—not only during pregnancy but also prior to conception—play a crucial role in shaping disease susceptibility across generations [73,169,175,177,178,179].”

Both maternal and paternal nutritional environments before and during conception can profoundly influence offspring metabolic programming through heritable epigenetic mechanisms.

“Together, these findings demonstrate that both maternal and paternal nutritional environments before and during conception can profoundly influence offspring metabolic programming through heritable epigenetic mechanisms.”

Despite the absence of direct dietary exposure, F2 offspring from HFD lineages exhibited increased body weight, adiposity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, with a clear trend in metabolic impairment following cumulative exposure of previous generations (A > B > C > D).

“Despite the absence of direct dietary exposure, F2 offspring from HFD lineages exhibited increased body weight, adiposity, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, with a clear trend in metabolic impairment following the cumulative exposure of previous generations (A > B > C > D) [175].”