Abstract
This study examined the effect of dietary lard and fish-oil intake by rats during pregnancy and lactation on the composition of the stomach contents and plasma lipid concentration in pups. Two groups of dams were fed a lard diet (LD) and a fish-oil diet (FD) during pregnancy and lactation; all pups were fed the same diets as the dams until weaning. No significant difference in body weight was observed between the two groups of dams and their pups. However, the plasma triacylglycerol concentration in dams fed FD was lower than that in dams fed LD. Although there was no significant difference in the protein (P), fat (F) and carbohydrate (C) energy ratio of the stomach contents of pups between the two groups until weaning, the fatty acid compositions of the pups changed according to the fatty acid compositions of the diets given to the dams, and the n-6/n-3 ratio in the stomach contents of the LD group and FD group were 18.6 and 1.5, respectively. The FD group had a lower ratio than the LD group, although the plasma triacylglycerol concentration and total cholesterol concentration in the pups decreased with the progress of weaning. Perirenal fat tissue in pups of the FD group was lower than that in pups of the LD group. Therefore, the fatty acid compositions of the stomach contents of pups changed in accordance with the dams’ fat intake. In addition, the plasma lipid concentration and the body composition of pups were influenced accordingly. These results suggest that fish oil intake during pregnancy lowers the plasma lipid concentration of both dams and pups.
