Lipids Metabolism in Pregnancy and Lactation in Human: A General Review Journal of Obesity & Body Weight

Pregnancy is one of the most critical periods for mother and child. It involves a tremendous ?ow of physiological changes and metabolic adaptations week by week, and even small deviations from the norm might have detrimental consequences at different pregnancy stages. Third trimester human pregnancy is characterized by a 2-3-fold increase in plasma triglyceride and lesser increases in cholesterol and phospholipid. Maternal hypertriglyceridemia at late gestation results from the juxtaposition of several factors. Enhanced adipose tissue lipolysis facilitating the availability to the liver substrates for triglyceride synthesis and contributing to augmented ?ux of Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) into the circulation. There is a commonality among mammals in the adaptive responses during lactation and in their general regulation. Acylated fatty acids can be metabolized by the enzymes of the ?-oxidation pathway or incorporated into TAG for secretion into milk. In the mammary gland the mRNA for most enzymes of the ?-oxidation pathway falls two- to threefold at secretory activation directing fatty acids to TAG synthesis. Lipogenesis stops when lactation starts. Then, mammary adipocytes Trans-differentiate into secretory epithelial cells to promote lipid transfer during milk production. Lipids are major constituents of the milk of most mammals and a singularly important source of the calories required for neonatal growth and signaling molecules that promote postnatal development