Multivitamin supplementation of Wistar rats during pregnancy accelerates the development of obesity in offspring fed an obesogenic diet

Objective: The effect of gestational multivitamin supplementation on the development of obesity in rat offspring fed an obesogenic diet was investigated. Design: Pregnant Wistar rats (n=10 per group) were fed the AIN-93G diet with the recommended vitamin (RV) content or a 10-fold increase (high vitamin, HV). At weaning, 10 males and 10 females, from separate dams, and from each gestational diet group were weaned to the liquid obesogenic diet for 48 weeks post-weaning. Measurements: Body weight (BW) was measured weekly, and food intake over 24 h was measured once every 3 weeks for 24 weeks. Every 4 weeks, after an overnight fast, food intake over 1 h was measured 30 min after a gavage of water or glucose. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was carried out every 3-5 weeks. Post-weaning fasting glucose, insulin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were measured. Results: No difference in BW at birth or litter size was observed. Males and females from HV dams gained 17% (P