Maternal diet supplemented with leucine and fish oil linked to improved antioxidant responses in the liver of offspring

Researchers from the University of Campinas in Brazil found that a maternal diet supplemented with leucine and fish oil has benefits for the offspring. The study, which was published in the journal Nutrition Research, showed that these supplements boosted antioxidant responses of the liver and improved cachexia in tumor-bearing rat offspring.

• Cachexia is accountable for approximately 20 percent of cancer deaths. This multi-factorial syndrome results in depleted carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, extreme weight loss, structural tissue damage, and metabolic reprogramming of the liver.
• Oxidative stress is a major factor in the proliferation of cancer cells. Previous studies have shown that this could be modulated during tumor development with the help of leucine and omega-3.
• Leucine is a commonly used supplement that is beneficial for cell signaling, protein synthesis, and preventing muscle proteolysis. Meanwhile, omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid that improves immune response and attenuates the break down of skeletal muscle proteins.
• In this study, the researchers wanted to determine if receiving leucine and fish oil supplements during pregnancy can attenuate the damaging effects of cancer on the offspring. They did this by evaluating the cachexia index, liver function, hepatic enzyme content, and oxidative stress response in tumor-bearing offspring.
• The results of the study showed that tumor-bearing offspring whose mothers received leucine and fish oil supplements experienced significant improvements in liver antioxidant response and cachexia state.

Overall, the results of this study suggest that leucine and fish oil can improve the damaging effects of cancer on tumor-bearing offspring by boosting hepatic function and improving cachexia.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

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Journal Reference:

Miyaguti NADS, Oliveira SCPD, Gomes-Marcondes MCC. MATERNAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION WITH FISH OIL AND/OR LEUCINE IMPROVES HEPATIC FUNCTION AND ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSES, AND MINIMIZES CACHEXIA INDEXES IN WALKER-256 TUMOR-BEARING RATS OFFSPRING. Nutrition Research. 28 December 2017;51. DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2017.12.003