Low-birth-weight babies born to mothers who were undernourished during pregnancy are more susceptible to obesity and metabolic disease in adulthood for both humans and animals. A new animal study, however, found that poor prenatal nutrition may actually increase the offspring’s capacity for exercise. Study results will be presented Sunday, June 3, at The Endocrine Society’s 89th Annual Meeting in Toronto.

As a model for children of mothers on a poor diet, the researchers studied rats whose fetal growth was retarded because of maternal undereating. They made a somewhat surprising finding, said study co-author Bernhard Breier, PhD, associate professor at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. After the rats reached maturity, they preferred exercise on a running wheel over food when given a choice.

These adult rats also had increased glycogen storage in muscle and liver, compared with the offspring of properly fed rats. Glycogen, which serves as an energy reservoir, is an important metabolic fuel for exercising tissue and is increased in endurance athletes, Breier said.

“We suggest that the increased capacity for exercise shown by rats that were poorly nourished before birth may be a result of their increased ability to burn energy instead of storing it as fat,” he said. “This research demonstrates the importance of adequate nutrition during pregnancy as well as lifestyle change – such as access to daily moderate exercise, for the prevention of obesity and its associated health complications.”

The study was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the New Zealand National Research Centre for Growth and Development. A co-author in Germany, Korinna Huber, PhD, received financial support from the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft).

# # #