Fat intake, stress responses and endocannabinoids in neonatal development

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High fat diets are known to be critical in the development of several pathologies including diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Feeding on high fat diets usually results in an increased production of the endogenous "stress" hormone cortisol, which at high levels, impairs several peripheral and central brain functions. However, during the postnatal period prior to weaning in rat pups, high fat milk from the mother reduces, rather than enhances stress hormones production and this particular situation could help us understand how to protect the brain from high fat diets in adulthood. Specific fats in the diet can act as precursors for brain transmitters called endocannabinoids (eCBs), which are analogous to the active component of marijuana.  These eCBs, secreted following a stressor act to specifically reduce stress responses in the brain. In this proposal, we test the hypothesis that high fat milk is protective to stress responses in developing pups because it enhances the production and secretion of brain endocannabinoids. Therapeutic interventions aimed at increasing eCBs production in adults might allow to reduce the negative effects of stress hormones on the development of disease.