Maternal high-fat feeding leads to alterations of brain glucose metabolism in the offspring: positron emission tomography study in a porcine model

Aims/hypothesis: Maternal obesity negatively affects fetal development. Abnormalities in brain glucose metabolism are predictive of metabolic–cognitive disorders. Methods: We studied the offspring (aged 0, 1, 6, 12 months) of minipigs fed a normal vs high-fat diet (HFD), by positron emission tomography (PET) to measure brain glucose metabolism, and ex vivo assessments of brain insulin receptors (IRβ) and GLUT4. Results: At birth, brain glucose metabolism and IRβ were twice as high in the offspring of HFD-fed than control mothers. During infancy and youth, brain glucose uptake, GLUT4 and IRβ increased in the offspring of control mothers and decreased in those of HFD-fed mothers, leading to a 40–85% difference (p < 0.05), and severe glycogen depletion, lasting until adulthood. Conclusions/interpretation: Maternal high-fat feeding leads to brain glucose overexposure during fetal development, followed by long-lasting depression in brain glucose metabolism in minipigs. These features may predispose the offspring to develop metabolic–neurodegenerative diseases.