Abstract
To investigate the influence of dietary fat type consumed by dams on the food choice of their pups after weaning, two groups of dams were fed a fish-oil diet (FD) or a lard diet (LD), respectively. Immediately after weaning, all pups were placed on a two-choice diet program comprising the FD or the LD for 27 days. At the beginning of the self-selection period, in both groups of pups, no significant difference in the amount of the FD and the LD intake was observed. However, the ratio of FD intake [FD intake (g) /total intake (g) ] in both groups of pups decreased from day 3 to 6. After day 7, the FD intake ratio for male and female pups nursed by dams that had been fed the FD was 38% and 32%, respectively, and that of male and female pups nursed by dams that had been fed the LD was 16% and 17%, respectively. Therefore, the FD intake ratio in the FD group was higher than that in the LD group. These findings suggested that the type of dietary fat consumed by pups during lactation together with that consumed by the dam contributes to their dietary fat selectivity after weaning. Perirenal fat tissue weight, and plasma lipid and hormone concentrations of dams and their pups were also examined and discussed in relation to the observed dietary preference.
