Abstract

Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy increases offspring obesity and metabolic disease risk. We hypothesized that periconceptional undernutrition in sheep from 60 days before conception through to day 30 of gestation (UN) would decrease voluntary locomotor activity in adult offspring. Distance travelled was measured at 18 months of age for similar to 48 h in the paddock. Data were analysed using multiple regression analysis, with explanatory variables including sex, nutrition group, birth weight, average time between GPS measurements and percentage of time during the measurement period spent in daylight. Mean (+/- S.E.) distance walked (m/h) was greater for control (CON) than UN animals, and greater for females than males [110.2 (6.5), CON females; 110.7 (6.3), CON males; 105.1 (5.3), UN females and 95.5 (5.8), UN males; P=0.02 for nutrition group effect and for sex effect]. Periconceptional undernutrition may lead to a significant decrease in voluntary physical activity in adult offspring.

Keywords

developmental programming; obesity; physical activity; undernutrition

Published in

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
2013, Volume: 4, number: 4, pages: 296-299

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S2040174413000214

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/86391