Postnatal nutrition alters body composition in adult offspring exposed to maternal protein restriction

Abstract

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is altered with intra-uterine growth retardation and in adult metabolic disease. The aim of the present study was to observe effects of continued protein restriction on the IGF-I system and body composition in offspring of mothers fed a low-protein (LP) diet. Offspring from Wistar dams fed either a 20% (CON) or 8% (LP) protein diet during gestation and lactation were studied at birth, 10d, weaning and at 12 weeks after maintenance on either the 8% (lp) or 20% (con) protein diet from weaning. LP offspring had reduced weaning weights (P<0.05) and reduced serum insulin (P<0.005). Serum IGF-I (P<0.001) and acid-labile subunit (ALS) (P<00001) were reduced at 10 and 21d. Hepatic expression of IGF-I (P<0.05) and ALS (P<0.005) were reduced at 10 and 21d. IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-1 hepatic expression was elevated at 10d (P<0.001) but not at 21d. Adult LP-con offspring had reduced body weight (P<0.05), lean (P<0.0001) and bone (P<00001) but not fat (P=0.6) mass with no persistent effects on IGF-I, ALS and IGFBP-1.Postnatal lp feeding reduced lean mass (P<0.0001) and bone mass (P<00001) in CON and LP animals. Percentage fat (LP P=0.04; CON P=0.6) and IGFBP-1 (LP P=0.01; CON P=0.2) were increased in LP-lp but not CON-lp offspring. This suggests that postnatal nutrition is important in the effects of maternal protein restriction on adult body composition and that IGFBP-1 may be involved.