High-fat diet enhances accumulation of hexachlorobenzene in rat dams and delays its transfer from rat dams to suckling pups through milk

Effect of diets on the distribution and transfer of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) from dams to fetuses and suckling pups was investigated. In pregnant rats, the amount of HCB accumulated in fat tissues of the high-fat diet group wa s higher than that of the control diet group (P < 0.05). The amounts of HCB in fetuses of the high-fat and control diet groups were estimated to be ab out 0.28 and 0.12% of the dam's total intake during pregnancy, respectively . In both groups, a large proportion of HCB in dams disappeared during lact ation period and was transferred to their pups through the milk. In the pup s of the high-fat diet group, the amount of HCB in stomach contents was low er immediately after birth and decreased slowly compared with that in the c ontrol diet group during lactation. These results showed that a high-fat di et reduced the speed of the transfer of HCB from the dams to their suckling pups through milk.