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- Excess perigestational folic acid exposure induces metabolic dysfunction in post-natal lifePublication . Keating, Elisa; Correia-Branco, Ana; Araújo, João R,; Meireles, Manuela; Fernandes, Rita; Guardão, Luísa; Guimarães, João T.; Martel, Fátima; Calhau, ConceiçãoThe aim of this study was to understand whether high folic acid (HFA) exposure during the perigestational period induces metabolic dysfunction in the offspring, later in life. To do this, female Sprague-Dawley rats (G0) were administered a dose of folic acid (FA) recommended for pregnancy (control, C, 2 mg FA/kg of diet, n=5) or a high dose of FA (HFA, 40 mg FA/kg of diet, n=5). Supplementation began at mating and lasted throughout pregnancy and lactation. Body weight and food and fluid intake were monitored in G0 and their offspring (G1) till G1 were 13 months of age. Metabolic blood profiles were assessed in G1 at 3 and 13 months of age (3M and 13M respectively). Both G0 and G1 HFA females had increased body weight gain when compared with controls, particularly 22 (G0) and 10 (G1) weeks after FA supplementation had been stopped. G1 female offspring of HFA mothers had increased glycemia at 3M, and both female and male G1 offspring of HFA mothers had decreased glucose tolerance at 13M, when compared with matched controls. At 13M, G1 female offspring of HFA mothers had increased insulin and decreased adiponectin levels, and G1 male offspring of HFA mothers had increased levels of leptin, when compared with matched controls. In addition, feeding of fructose to adult offspring revealed that perigestational exposure to HFA renders female progeny more susceptible to developing metabolic unbalance upon such a challenge. The results of this work indicate that perigestational HFA exposure the affects long-term metabolic phenotype of the offspring, predisposing them to an insulin-resistant state.
- Blueberry anthocyanins in health promotion: a metabolic overviewPublication . Norberto, Sónia; Silva, Sara; Meireles, Manuela; Faria, Ana; Pintado, Manuela; Calhau, ConceiçãoDiet has gained scientific community attention due to the crucial role in health maintenance, but also in disease treatment, and essential in disease prevention. Several food and food components, particularly phenolic rich foods, have been investigated as they present themselves as putative functional foods. In the past decades, obesity has reached epidemic proportions and consequently, metabolic syndrome (a set of disorders as impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes) incidence is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate and this phenolic rich foods, specially berries have been investigated to their potential beneficial effect in this disorders. In the present work the chemistry of blueberries (BB) (fruits of some Vaccinium species) was summarised as well as the knowledge about bioavailability and biokinetic of anthocyanins from blueberries with particular emphasis on its implications in metabolic disorders.