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Kearns ML, Reynolds CM. The impact of non-nutritive sweeteners on fertility, maternal and child health outcomes: a review of human and animal studies. Proc Nutr Soc 2024:1-13. [PMID: 38433591 DOI: 10.1017/s0029665124000168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
There is significant evidence that an unhealthy diet greatly increases the risk of complications during pregnancy and predisposes offspring to metabolic dysfunction and obesity. While fat intake is typically associated with the onset of obesity and its comorbidities, there is increasing evidence linking sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, to the global rise in obesity rates. Furthermore, the detrimental effects of added sugar intake during pregnancy on mother and child have been clearly outlined. Guidelines advising pregnant women to avoid food and beverages with high fat and sugar have led to an increase in consumption of 'diet' or 'light' options. Examination of some human birth cohort studies shows that heavy consumption (at least one beverage a day) of non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) containing beverages has been associated with increased risk of preterm birth and increased weight/BMI in male offspring independent of maternal weight, which appears to be offset by breastfeeding for 6 months. Rodent models have shown that NNS exposure during pregnancy can impact maternal metabolic health, adipose tissue function, gut microbiome profiles and taste preference. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are multifaceted and further research, particularly in a translational setting is required to fully understand the effects of NNS on maternal and infant health during pregnancy. Therefore, this review examines maternal sweetener intakes and their influence on fertility, maternal health outcomes and offspring outcomes in human cohort studies and rodent models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle L Kearns
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science/Conway Institute/Institute of Food and Health/Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Clare M Reynolds
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science/Conway Institute/Institute of Food and Health/Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
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Zheng Q, Li N, Zhang Y, Li J, Zhang E, Xu Z. Fat-Diets in Perinatal Stages Altered Nr3c2-Mediated Ca 2+ Currents in Mesenteric Arteries of Offspring Rats. Mol Nutr Food Res 2023; 67:e2200722. [PMID: 37366318 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202200722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
SCOPE Perinatal high-fat diets (PHF) can influence fetal/neonate development, resulting in cardiovascular pathogenesis, but precise mechanisms remain unclear. This study tests aldosterone receptor-mediated Ca2+ influx and the underlying mechanisms influenced by PHF. METHODS AND RESULTS Maternal S.D. rats receive PHF during pregnancy and lactation periods. Their male offspring are fed normal diets after weaning for four months. Mesenteric arteries (MA) are for electrophysiological testing, Ca2+ imaging, target gene expression, and promotor methylation. PHF increases aldosterone receptor gene Nr3c2-mediated Ca2+ currents in the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) of the MA via L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCC) in the offspring. The increased expression of aldosterone-receptors and LTCC are responsible for an activated Nr3c2-LTCC pathway in the vasculature, eventually predisposes an increase of Ca2+ influx in the myocytes of resistance arteries. The inhibitor of aldosterone-receptors suppresses the increased Ca2+ currents in the SMCs. Nr3c2 and LTCC are upregulated through the transcriptional mechanism in methylation, which can be reversed in the functional changes by methylation inhibitor 5AZA. CONCLUSION The results firstly demonstrate that aldosterone-receptor activation can stimulate Ca2+ currents via LTCC in vascular myocytes, which can be altered by perinatal foods via epigenetic changes of DNA methylation in the promoters of Nr3c2 and LTCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiutong Zheng
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Na Li
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Jingyang Li
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Eryun Zhang
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
| | - Zhice Xu
- Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Wuxi & First Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, 215000, China
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Sakali AK, Papagianni M, Bargiota A, Rasic-Markovic A, Macut D, Mastorakos G. Environmental factors affecting pregnancy outcomes. Endocrine 2023; 80:459-469. [PMID: 36729371 DOI: 10.1007/s12020-023-03307-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pregnancy represents a fragile period in the life of a woman, vulnerable to hazardous environmental substances which might affect maternal and fetal metabolism. The possible influence of environmental factors, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), upon the mother and the fetus before and/or during pregnancy might be associated directly and/or indirectly to deleterious pregnancy outcomes. Because the existence of such associations would be, to our view, of major importance to the scientific community, their investigation is the scope of this critical review. METHODS This critical review includes in vivo animal and human studies regarding the role of environmental factors, including EDCs, on pregnancy outcomes complying with the SANRA (a scale for the quality assessment of narrative review articles) questions for narrative reviews. Studies were identified by searching the MEDLINE (PubMed and PubMed Central), the Cochrane library and the Google Scholar databases till October 2022 with the combinations of the appropriate key words (detailed environmental factors including EDCs AND detailed negative pregnancy outcomes) as well as by scanning references from already included articles and relevant reviews manually. Because environmental factors and EDCs have been associated to epigenetic alterations, special care has been given to EDC-induced transgenerational effects on pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS The existing evidence suggests positive associations between specific environmental factors and negative pregnancy outcomes such as ectopic pregnancies, pregnancy losses, gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preterm births, birth defects, intrauterine growth restriction, and small or large for gestational age babies. CONCLUSION Environmental factors and EDCs may have a catalytic effect on the course and the outcomes of pregnancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia-Konstantina Sakali
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Larissa University Hospital, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Maria Papagianni
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education and Sport Science and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece
- Endocrine Unit, 3rd Department of Pediatrics, Hippokration Hospital of Thessaloniki, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Alexandra Bargiota
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Larissa University Hospital, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Aleksandra Rasic-Markovic
- Institute of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Visegradska 26, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Djuro Macut
- Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - George Mastorakos
- Unit of Endocrinology, Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolism, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
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Comparative Transcriptomics and Methylomics Reveal Adaptive Responses of Digestive and Metabolic Genes to Dietary Shift in Giant and Red Pandas. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13081446. [PMID: 36011357 PMCID: PMC9407821 DOI: 10.3390/genes13081446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Both the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) belong to the order Carnivora, but have changed their dietary habits to eating bamboo exclusively. The convergent evolution characteristics of their morphology, genome and gut flora have been found in the two pandas. However, the research on the convergent adaptation of their digestion and metabolism to the bamboo diet, mediated by the dietary shift of the two pandas at the gene-expression and epigenetic regulation levels, is still lacking. We therefore used RNA sequencing among five species (two pandas and three non-herbivore mammals) and bisulfite sequencing among three species (two pandas and a carnivore ferret) to sequence key digestion and metabolism tissues (stomach and small intestine). Our results provide evidence that the convergent differentially expressed genes (related to carbohydrate utilization, bile secretion, Lys and Arg metabolism, vitamin B12 utilization and cyanide detoxification) of the two pandas are adaptive responses to the bamboo diet containing low lipids, low Lys and Arg, low vitamin B12 and high cyanide. We also profiled the genome-wide methylome maps of giant panda, red panda and ferret, and the results indicated that the promoter methylation of the two pandas may regulate digestive and metabolic genes to adapt to sudden environmental changes, and then, transmit genetic information to future generations to evolve into bamboo eaters. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the dietary shift and the adaptation to a strict bamboo diet in both pandas using comparative transcriptomics and methylomics.
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Rasmussen L, Knorr S, Antoniussen CS, Bruun JM, Ovesen PG, Fuglsang J, Kampmann U. The Impact of Lifestyle, Diet and Physical Activity on Epigenetic Changes in the Offspring-A Systematic Review. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13082821. [PMID: 34444981 PMCID: PMC8398155 DOI: 10.3390/nu13082821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: This systematic review examines the association between maternal lifestyle, diet and physical activity, and epigenetic changes in the offspring. Methods: A literature search was conducted using multiple science databases: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library, on 10 March 2021. RCT and Cohort studies in English or Scandinavian languages were included. Exposure variables included diet, lifestyle, meal patterns or physical activity. Studies using dietary supplements as exposure variables were excluded. Outcome variables included were DNA methylation, microRNA or histone changes in placenta, cord blood or offspring. Two independent authors screened, read and extracted data from the included papers. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB2) and The Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Cohort Study Checklist were used to assess risk of bias in the included studies. A qualitative approach was employed due to heterogeneity of exposures and results of the studies. Results: 16 studies and 3617 participants were included in the final analysis. The exposure variables included physical activity, carbohydrate, low glycemic index diet, added sugar, fat, Mediterranean diet and pro-inflammatory diet. The outcome variables identified were differences in DNA methylation and microRNA. Most studies described epigenetic changes in either placenta or cord blood. Genes reported to be methylated were GR, HSD2, IGF-2, PLAG1, MEG-3, H19 and RXRA. However, not all studies found epigenetic changes strong enough to pass multiple testing, and the study quality varied. Conclusion: Despite the variable quality of the included studies, the results in this review suggest that there may be an association between the mother’s lifestyle, diet and level of physical activity during pregnancy and epigenetic changes in the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise Rasmussen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle-Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (L.R.); (P.G.O.); (J.F.)
| | - Sine Knorr
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Hedeager 3, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (S.K.); (J.M.B.)
| | | | - Jens Meldgaard Bruun
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Hedeager 3, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (S.K.); (J.M.B.)
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevar 82, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Per Glud Ovesen
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle-Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (L.R.); (P.G.O.); (J.F.)
| | - Jens Fuglsang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle-Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (L.R.); (P.G.O.); (J.F.)
| | - Ulla Kampmann
- Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Hedeager 3, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark; (S.K.); (J.M.B.)
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevar 82, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +45-22370857
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