Hypothalamic oxidative stress and inflammation, and peripheral glucose homeostasis in Sprague-Dawley rat offspring exposed to maternal and postnatal chocolate and soft drink

Twenty-eight pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were either fed ad libitum chow diet only (C) or chow with chocolate and high sucrose soft drink supplement (S) from one day after copulation plug and until weaning of offspring 3 weeks after parturition. Litter size was adjusted into 10 male offspring per mother. After weaning, offspring from both dietary groups were assigned to either S or C diet, giving four groups until the end of the experiment at 26 weeks of age, namely CC, CS, SC, and SS. For details of animals and procedures, see Experimental materials and methods (ref.32