Maternal obesity during lactation may protect offspring from high fat diet-induced metabolic dysfunction

a Diagram of study design: Pups born to LFD-fed, lean dams (LFD-LN) were cross-fostered to nurse upon HFD-fed, obesity resistant (HFD-OR) or obesity prone (HFD-OP) dams. Upon weaning, all cross-fostered offspring were placed onto HFD for 20 weeks. b Body weight of dams at parturition and at weaning: LFD-LN (blue), HFD-OR (green), or HFD-OP (red) dams. c Weight of standardized litters (g), shown for the entire course of lactation, of pups nursed on LFD-LN (blue), HFD-OR (green), or HFD-OP (red) dams. Graphs show the mean？±？s.e.m. for 4–5 dams/group. d Weight (g) at weaning of cross-fostered male and female pups. e Milk composition analysis from LFD-LN (blue), HFD-OR (green), or HFD-OP (red) dams, showing total protein, lactose and total triglyceride, expressed as kcal/mL of milk. f Fatty Acid composition analysis of the neutral lipid fraction of milk. Data are expressed in nmoles of fatty acid per nmole of milk triglyceride. (De novo？=？8:0, 10:0, 12:0, 14:0, SaFA？=？8:0, 10:0, 12:0, 14:0, 16:0, 18:0, 20:0, MUFA？=？16:1, 18:1, 20:1, PUFA？=？all polyunsaturated of both n-6 and n-3 series: 18:2, 18:3, 20:2, 20:3, 20:4, 20:5, 22:2, 22:3, 22:4, 22:5, 22:6.) g Ratios of bioactive fatty acids from the neutral lipid fraction of milk. The total n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio is the quantitative sum of n-6 (18:2, 18:3, 20:2, 20:3, 20:4, 22:2, 22:4, and 22:5) divided by the sum of n-3 (18:3, 20:3, 20:4, 20:5, 22:3, 22:5, and 22:6); the AA/DHA？+？EPA ratio is the absolute amount of 20:4 n-6 divided by the sum of 22:6 n-3？+？20:5 n-3. Graphs show the mean？±？s.e.m. for 4–5 milk samples/grou