A high nutrient dense diet alters hypothalamic gene expressions to influence energy intake in pigs born with low birth weight.

The low birth weight (LBW) individual had greater risk of developing metabolic dysfunction in adulthood. The aim of this study was to test whether the LBW individual is more prone to glucose intolerance on a high nutrient dense (HND) diet, and to investigate the associated hypothalamic gene expressions using pigs as model. The intake of digestible energy intake, if calculated on a body weight basis, was greater in LBW pigs than that of normal birth weight (NBW) pigs. The LBW pigs fed the HND diet had greater digestible energy intake than those fed the NND diet at adulthood, which did not occur for NBW pigs. Notably, up-regulated hypothalamic toll-like receptor 4, interleukin 6 and phospho-NFκB p65 expressions, and the altered expressions of hypothalamic leptin receptor, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3, agouti-related protein and proopiomelanocortin predicted the overconsumption of energy intake and development of glucose intolerance in LBW pigs fed the HND diet. Collectively, pigs born with LBW had a distinct hypothalamic leptin signaling to a high nutrient dense diet, which contributed to greater energy intake and glucose intolerance.