Parental fructose consumption induces early baroreflex dysfunction in offspring: impact on arterial pressure and on insulin resistance.

Fructose overconsumption is a worldwide trend, and it has been found to cause metabolic disorders in parents and their offspring. Additionally, metabolic syndrome has been closely associated with increased cardiovascular risk. In this study, we hypothesized that the chronic fructose consumption by parents could trigger autonomic dysfunction and cardiometabolic disorders in their offspring. Wistar rats undergo an intake of 10% of fructose in drinking water or regular water for 60 days before mating. Their offspring, control (C) and fructose (F) groups, were evaluated 30 days after weaning. Lower birth weight, increased levels of blood triglycerides and insulin resistance were observed in F compared to C group. The offspring of the fructose parents showed increased mean arterial pressure (C: 104 ± 1 vs. F: 111 ± 2 mmHg) and baroreflex sensitivity impairment, characterized by reduced bradycardic (C: -1.6 ± 0.06 vs. F: -1.3 ± 0.06 bpm/mmHg) and tachycardic responses (C: -4.0 ± 0.1 vs. F: -3.1 ± 0.2 bpm/mmHg). Finally, a higher baroreflex-induced tachycardia was associated with lower insulin tolerance (r = -0.55, P < 0.03) and higher systolic arterial pressure (r = 0.54, P < 0.02). In conclusion, our findings indicate that the excessive consumption of fructose by parents is associated with early autonomic, cardiovascular, and metabolic derangement in the offspring, favoring an increased cardiometabolic risk when they reach adulthood.