{
  "abstract": "Background: Maternal consumption of the Western diet is a precursor for metabolic conditions such as obesity and is associated with increased offspring risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). It is not clear which component (i.e., high-fat or high-sugar) of the Western diet contributes to changes in offspring neurodevelopment. We used a mouse model of parental consumption of five different diets containing varying levels of fat and sugar to examine and compare their effects on offspring brain structure. Methods: Male and female offspring (avg n = 15/sex/diet) were assessed for differences in body weight and developmental milestone achievement, and their brains were imaged at postnatal day (P) 65 using magnetic resonance imaging to compare brain structure. Results: Offspring of the high-fat-only and combined high-fat/high-sugar diet groups showed delayed righting reflex success and heavier weight at weaning. Brain structure differences were also observed in early adulthood (P65), with the pattern of change induced by high-fat/high-sugar diets similar to that observed in some autism mouse models. Conclusions: Parental high-fat-only and combined high-fat/high-sugar diets altered offspring brain structure, but the high-sugar-only diet did not. High fat consumption is likely a key driver of the observed offspring brain changes and is a modifiable risk factor for NDDs.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Mouse Imaging Centre, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5T 3H7, Canada",
    "Translational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada",
    "Neuroscience and Mental Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada",
    "Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada",
    "Department of Biochemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada",
    "Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada",
    "Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, ON M4G 1R8, Canada",
    "Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada",
    "Center for Depression Research and Clinical Care, Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75247, USA",
    "Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4H 1R3, Canada",
    "Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK",
    "Department of Physiology, The University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada",
    "Division of Endocrinology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada",
    "Division of Endocrinology, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada",
    "Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, Toronto, ON M5G 0A3, Canada"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Gail Lee",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-8706-386X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Karina Wilk"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Taylor DeYoung",
      "orcid": "0009-0006-7324-0541"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Cheryl Chong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Emma G. W. McKnight"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Tiffany Ayoub"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Lloyd Fan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Jacob Ellegood"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Antoine Beauchamp",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0008-7471"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7,
        8
      ],
      "name": "Jane A. Foster",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8579-4705"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Tie-Yuan Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6368-2606"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2,
        10
      ],
      "name": "Jason P. Lerch"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11,
        12,
        13
      ],
      "name": "Mark R. Palmert"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3,
        14
      ],
      "name": "Brian J. Nieman"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dh1gg9zv32xfs.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/nu18213539",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "dh1gg9zv32xfs",
  "issns": [
    "2072-6643"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3539",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2735|Birth, Development, and Health"
    ]
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  "openalex": "W7223897732",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dh1gg9zv32xfs.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:56Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/nu18213539",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3539"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2735|Birth, Development, and Health",
      "subfield": "reproductive-child"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Disentangling Fat and Sugar in the Western Diet: Parental Consumption of a High-Fat Diet Alters Offspring Brain Development",
  "title_text": "Disentangling Fat and Sugar in the Western Diet: Parental Consumption of a High-Fat Diet Alters Offspring Brain Development",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:56Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/dh1gg9zv32xfs",
  "venue": "Nutrients",
  "versions": []
}