Elsevier

The Journal of Nutrition

Volume 114, Issue 9, September 1984, Pages 1560-1565
The Journal of Nutrition

One Cycle of Reproduction Consisting of Pregnancy, Lactation or No Lactation, and Recovery: Effects on Fat Pad Cellularity in Ad Libitum-Fed and Food-Restricted Rats

https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/114.9.1560Get rights and content

Abstract

Groups of nine ad libitum-fed and food-restricted Osborne-Mendel rats, weighing between 200 and 220 g at mating, were killed on day 21 of pregnancy, day 21 of lactation and day 21 of a postweaning recovery period. Food-restricted rats were fed 70% of the mean daily ad libitum intake. Groups of nine ad libitum-fed animals, not permitted to suckle their young, were also killed on day 21 and day 42 postpartum. Groups of nine nonpregnant rats of comparable body weight on day 0 were killed on day 0, day 21, day 43 and day 64 of the experiment to serve as age and growth controls. At the time of death, subscapular, parametrial and retroperitoneal fat pads were dissected, weighed and sampled for determination of fat cell size and fat cell number. At 21 days postpartum, animals that had gone through pregnancy but did not lactate exhibited increased fat pad weight and significantly increased fat cell number in the parametrial and retroperitoneal depots although not in the subscapular depot. This increase in fat cell number was still evident 42 days postpartum and may predispose these animals to subsequent obesity.

Literature Cited (15)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (22)

  • Pituitary Physiology During Pregnancy and Lactation

    2020, Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Endocrinology: Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Management
  • Pituitary Physiology During Pregnancy and Lactation

    2019, Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Endocrinology: Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Management
  • Leptin levels and gene expression during the perinatal phase in the rat

    1998, European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
  • Breast-feeding reduces maternal lower-body fat

    1993, Journal of the American Dietetic Association
View all citing articles on Scopus
3

Current address: Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) Medical Center and UCLA School of Medicine, Torrance, CA 90509.

View full text