Dairy fat or ALA rich rapeseed diets for dams and mice offspring are similarly protecting against anxiety observed with low ALA palm diet

Omega 3 deficiencies during gestation/lactation could have dramatic impacts on cognition and behaviour. We previously showed in n3deficientrats that dairy fat diet containing naturally low levels of omega 3(ALA 0.8 percent) was as efficient as ALA rich rapeseed diet (8 percent) to restore brain DHA levels to normal values and was much more efficient than low ALA palm diet (0.4 percent). Objectives: Evaluation of the dairy fat potential, compared to rapeseed or palm diets on mother and pups behaviour. Methods: Three groups of dams (Swiss strain) were fed during 6 weeks before and during gestation/lactation with:  (i) Deficient ALA palm ( 0.4 percent) diet,  (ii) Dairy fat (ALA 0.8 percent) diet  (iii)Protective ALA rich (8 percent) rapeseed diet. Post weaning pups received diets similar to their mothers until PND40 (PostNatal Day40). Results There was no change in the behavior of pregnant dams, except in the palm group which showed a reduced activity in a spatial memory test (Ymaze). Pups belonging to the palm group showed a reduced time at PND3 in the surface righting reflex test when compared to rapeseed and dairy fat groups. No significant differences were found between the treated groups in the geotaxis test (motor coordination and vestibular function, assessed at PND 5,7,9,11), the suspension test (muscular strength, PND 9 and11) or in the Ymaze (assessing the short term memory post weaning). Three weeks after weaning, an increased anxiety was noticed in female mice of the palm diet group when placed into an open field (locomotor activity and anxiety). This result was confirmed with an elevated plus maze test, while females born from ALA rich diet dams (rapeseed) or dairy fat diet dams did not differed (reduced anxiety compared to ALA poor palm diet dams) Conclusions Females born from dams fed with dairy fat, despite 10times less
ALA than rapeseed oil (0.8 percent vs 8 percent), present the same absence of post weaning
anxiogenesis while those born from palm (similar ALA levels to dairy fat 0.4 percent vs 0.8 percent) presented an increased level of anxiety. The same low n6 to n3 ratio (2.3) for dairy and rapeseed (while 21 for palm) and dairy fat matrix complexity could be part of their protective effect via a better brain DHA status. (Authors abstract)