Endocrinology
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High fat feeding reportedly enhances hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) responses to stress in adult rats. The present study tested whether elevated fat intake during suckling could have short and/or long lasting consequences on HPA regulation in the offspring. Mothers were fed either a control (C; 5% fat) or high fat (HF; 20% fat) diet during the last week of gestation and throughout lactation. ⋯ During neonatal life, the blunted stress responsiveness seen with elevated fat intake and the resulting high leptin levels might protect the pups from excessive HPA activation. After removal of the maternal dietary influence and reduced leptin levels, enhanced ACTH stress responses are observed as in adult rats fed a HF diet. Because of the inverse relationship between plasma levels of leptin and HPA responses in pups, the possibility exists that the effects of the HF diet on stress responsiveness are mediated by changes in leptin exposure during development.