Objective　To study the impact of maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation on hepatic steatosis in the early life of offspring rats and its possible mechanism. Methods Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either a high fat diet (HF) or control (C) diet for 8 weeks before mating and throughout gestation and first 3 weeks of lactation. The expressions of hepatic fatty acid catabolism related genes, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), acyl-CoA synthease long-chain family member3 (ACSL3), carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1α (CPT-1α) and 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (Ehhadh) were determined in offspring liver tissue. The liver pathology was examined in offspring rats at 3 weeks of age. Results Pathohistological findings at 3 weeks of age showed that there were diffuse vacuolar degeneration in cytoplasm of hepatocytes and spot necrosis in hepatic lobular in the HF offspring liver. The mRNA expressions of PPARα and Ehhadh genes were markedly increased in the HF offspring as compared to the control group (P<0.05). The mRNA expression of CPT-1α gene was also higher in the HF offspring than that in control group (P=0.19). The level of ACSL3 gene expression, however, was markedly decreased (P<0.05). Conclusions Maternal high fat diet during pregnancy and lactation could result in an increased expression of genes related to hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation, including PPARα, CPT1α and Ehhadh, but the liver steatosis cannot be reversed in the early life of offspring.