Maternal Diet High in Fat can Change Newborn Heart ‘Tastebuds’
NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia, July 28 (UPI) — Mothers with high-fat diets during pregnancy can cause changes in heart taste receptors, according to a study with rats.
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Tastebuds exist outside of the mouth, including in the heart, and although researchers are unsure exactly what their purpose is, it is thought they play a role in nutrient detection and regulation of appetite.
Researchers said the baby rats hearts also were larger, with fewer angiotensin II and beta-adrenoreceptors, both of which are important for regulating blood pressure and cardiac activity, which suggests that their cardiac systems were overactive.
“We know that a range of maternal factors including diet can influence fetal development, but this is the first study to examine changes in the expression of taste receptors in the heart,” said Margaret Morris, head of the pharmacology department at the University of New South Wales, in a press release. “This may be an important finding linking taste preferences or nutrient availability and cardiovascular health.”
