The Benefits of Switching to a Healthy Diet on Metabolic, Cognitive, and Gut Microbiome Parameters Are Preserved in Adult Rat Offspring of Mothers Fed a High‐Fat, High‐Sugar Diet

Scope Maternal obesity increases the risk of health complications in children, highlighting the need for effective interventions. A rat model of maternal obesity to examine whether a diet switch intervention could reverse the adverse effects of an unhealthy postweaning diet is used. Methods and results Male and female offspring born to dams fed standard chow or a high‐fat, high‐sugar “cafeteria” (Caf) diet are weaned onto chow or Caf diets until 22 weeks of age, when Caf‐fed groups are switched to chow for 5 weeks. Adiposity, gut microbiota composition, and place recognition memory are assessed before and after the switch. Body weight and adiposity fall in switched groups but remain significantly higher than chow‐fed controls. Nonetheless, the diet switch improves a deficit in place recognition memory observed in Caf‐fed groups, increases gut microbiota species richness, and alters β diversity. Modeling indicate that adiposity most strongly predicts gut microbiota composition before and after the switch. Conclusion Maternal obesity does not alter the effects of switching diet on metabolic, microbial, or cognitive measures. Thus, a healthy diet intervention lead to major shifts in body weight, adiposity, place recognition memory, and gut microbiota composition, with beneficial effects preserved in offspring born to obese dams. Effective interventions are needed to combat the adverse effects of maternal obesity on offspring. Here the effects of switching are tested from an unhealthy high‐fat, high‐sugar diet to a healthy diet in rat offspring born to lean or obese dams. The diet switch reduces adiposity, increases microbiota species richness, and improves place recognition memory. These beneficial effects are preserved in offspring from obese dams.