FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental BiologyFeb 6, 2020

Milk fat membrane supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding help fat-burning cell growth and reduce obesity in male rat offspring fed a high-fat diet

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

Maternal supplementation with polar lipids-enriched milk fat globule membrane (MFGM-PL) reduced body weight gain and white adipose tissue mass in offspring.

MFGM-PL treatment decreased serum levels of insulin and triglycerides in male offspring at weaning.
Increased thermogenic function was observed in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and inguinal white adipose tissue (WAT) in MFGM-PL+HFD offspring.
Higher expression of thermogenic genes, including UCP1, was noted in the BAT and WAT of treated offspring.
In adulthood, MFGM-PL supplementation led to reduced adiposity and increased measures of energy expenditure such as oxygen consumption and heat production.
The benefits of MFGM-PL treatment in offspring were associated with enhanced BAT activity and a thermogenic program in inguinal WAT.

Simplified

Promoting brown adipose tissue (BAT) function or browning of white adipose tissue (WAT) provides a defense against obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate whether maternal polar lipids-enriched milk fat globule membrane (MFGM-PL) supplementation to high-fat diet (HFD) rats during pregnancy and lactation could promote brown/beige adipogenesis and protect against HFD-induced adiposity in offspring. Female SD rats were fed a HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity and, then, fed a HFD during pregnancy and lactation with or without MFGM-PL. Male offspring were weaned at postnatal Day 21 and then fed a HFD for 9 weeks. MFGM-PL treatment to HFD dams decreased the body weight gain and WAT mass as well as lowered the serum levels of insulin and triglycerides in male offspring at weaning. MFGM-PL+HFD offspring showed promoted thermogenic function in BAT and inguinal WAT through the upregulation of UCP1 and other thermogenic genes. In adulthood, maternal MFGM-PL supplementation reduced adiposity and increased oxygen consumption, respiratory exchange ratio, and heat production in male offspring. The enhancement of energy expenditure was correlated with elevated BAT activity and inguinal WAT thermogenic program. In conclusion, maternal MFGM-PL treatment activated thermogenesis in offspring, which exerted long-term beneficial effects against HFD-induced obesity in later life.

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Milk fat membrane supplements during pregnancy and breastfeeding help fat-burning cell growth and reduce obesity in male rat offspring fed a high-fat diet

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