Hormonal
Exposure to a maternal diet rich in saturated fats during gestation and the suckling period programs offspring to develop a metabolic syndrome-like phenotype (obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance), whereas diets rich in essential fatty acids (n-3 and n-6) can normalize the offspring phenotype.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the type of fat you eat matters more than just the total fat amount. Diets high in saturated fats (like lard) can program your child's metabolism for obesity and insulin resistance. However, including essential fatty acids (found in fish, nuts, seeds) can help normalize development, even if total fat intake is high. Focus on fat quality.
Rats exposed to a lard-rich diet during gestation and suckling (via maternal diet), then weaned onto a control diet, are obese, hypertensive, insulin resistant, dyslipidaemic, and demonstrate blunted endothelium-dependent vasodilatation... High-fat diets that are also rich in n–3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to result in a largely normal offspring phenotype despite the increased total fat and caloric load of the diet.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple animal studies (rats, baboons) and emerging human evidence.
Source
Developmental Origins of Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome: The Role of Maternal Obesity
James A. Armitage et al. · Frontiers of hormone research · 2008
DOI 10.1159/000115355
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