Human and animal studies indicate that maternal obesity can negatively impact aspects of metabolism and neurodevelopment in the offspring. Not known, however, is whether maternal exercise can alter these adverse outcomes. In this study, Long-Evans female rats were provided a high fat (60%; HFD) or control diet (CD) 44 days before mating and throughout gestation and lactation. Running wheels were available to half of each diet group during the gestational period only: CD diet with (CDRW) or without (sedentary; CDSED) exercise, and HFD with (HFRW) or without (HFSED) exercise. The offspring in this study were put on control diet after weaning and examined using a number of behavioral evaluations up to 4 months of age. Offspring of CDRW dams weighed less than offspring from CDSED dams, as well as from HFD dams. After weaning, the lower weight in CDRW offspring persisted in male, but not female, rats. Male (females not tested) offspring from HFSED dams performed worse than other groups in a Morris water maze during initial spatial training as well as reversal learning; memory was not impacted. Female, but not male, offspring from the HFSED dams showed less preference for chocolate milk during a 2-bottle choice test. No differences were seen in tests of novel object recognition, social approach, or locomotor activity. Thus, maternal diet and exercise produced differential effects on growth and selective behaviors in the offspring, and the data demonstrate a positive impact of maternal exercise on the offspring in that it ameliorated some deleterious behavioral effects of a maternal high fat diet.

This dataset is associated with the following publication: Moser, V., K. Mcdaniel, E. Wooland, P. Phillips, J. Franklin, and C. Gordon. IMPACTS OF MATERNAL DIET AND EXERCISE ON OFFSPRING BEHAVIOR AND GROWTH. NEUROTOXICOLOGY AND TERATOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, USA, 46-50, (2017).