A high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation targets GIP-regulated metabolic pathways in male offspring in mice

Introduction: Offspring exposed to high fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy (IU) and lactation (L) are at risk of developing obesity in adulthood. Inhibition of glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor signaling (Gipr-/-) in mice is protective of HFD induced obesity. We reported that Gipr-/- exposed to HFD during IU/L are no longer protected from diet induced obesity in adulthood. We now tested the hypothesis if these programming effects are due to altered promoter methylation of key genes of lipid metabolism which causes a decrease in gene expression.