New publication by Valentine Moullé

The study found that when mothers did not get enough omega-3 fats, their offspring had changes in the fatty-acid composition of the brain and signs of poorer metabolic health. These effects were particularly concerning when the offspring were later exposed to a high-fat diet. When mothers received a diet enriched with EPA, DHA, and AA during pregnancy and breastfeeding, some of these changes were reduced. The enriched maternal diet improved the fatty-acid balance in the offspring and may have supported healthy brain development and cognitive function. The effects were also different between male and female offspring, suggesting that sex may influence how maternal nutrition affects development and later health. An interesting finding was that measuring omega-3 levels and the balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats in the mother's red blood cells could provide a simple, non-invasive way of estimating DHA levels in an important area of the offspring's brain.

Overall, the study suggests that good maternal nutrition, particularly adequate omega-3 fatty acids, may help support healthy brain development and protect offspring against some harmful effects of an unhealthy, high-fat diet later in life.

Citation :

Valentine S Moullé, Agnès David-Sochard, Blandine Castellano, Isabelle Grit, Alexis Gandon, Jean-Charles Martin, Patricia Parnet, Maternal Diet Enrichment in n–3 Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids during Pregnancy and Lactation Improves Their Transfer from the Mother to the Offspring and Counterbalances High-Fat Diet-Induced Alterations in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Rats, Current Developments in Nutrition, Volume 10, Issue 9, 2026, 109508, ISSN 2475-2991,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2026.109508