Daughters May Inherit Dad’s Obesity

New research on mice has shown that obese fathers may pass on an increased risk of obesity to their children and their grandchildren.

Asian Scientist (Jul. 17, 2013) – If you are obese and hope to be a father, here’s another reason to lose weight: your children and grandchildren may inherit your waistline or metabolic disorders. New research on mice has shown that obese fathers may pass on an increased risk of obesity to their children and their grandchildren.

In their study, published in the FASEB Journal, scientists have discovered in mice that obese fathers passed on the trait of obesity most frequently to their daughters. Sons do not entirely dodge this genetic bullet either as both sons and daughters of obese fathers have increased risks of developing metabolic diseases, such as diabetes.

“If these findings hold true in humans, then a father’s diet and body composition at the time of conception is likely to affect his future child’s health and risk of lifelong disease,” said Tod Fullston, lead author of the study.

“Fathers should aim to be as healthy as possible at the time of conception to give future generations the best possible chance of good health.”

To make this discovery, the researchers used two groups of male mice. One was fed a high-fat diet that resembled a “fast food” diet and the other was fed a nutritious control diet.

When compared to the control group, the group fed the “fast food” diet gained weight and had an increase in fat (obesity) without any indications of diabetes. The two groups of male mice were then mated to normal weight control diet-fed females to produce first generation mice, which were also mated to normal weight control diet-fed mice to produce the second generation.

Both generations of mouse offspring had metabolic disorders and obesity, with the only difference being their father’s/grandfather’s diet. However, male and female offspring had different health problems.

By comparing small RNA molecules (microRNAs) in sperm from the obese mice as compared to the control mice, researchers deduced that changes in these molecules might be partly responsible for the transmission of these conditions from father to offspring.

“A father’s diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm. With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm – in their microRNA molecules – might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life,” said Fullston.

The research also suggests that these adverse health outcomes may be transmitted into the second generation of offspring as well, although the effects were not as severe as the first generation.

The article can be found at: Fullston et al. (2013) Paternal Obesity Initiates Metabolic Disturbances In Two Generations Of Mice With Incomplete Penetrance To The F2 Generation And Alters The Transcriptional Profile Of Testis And Sperm MicroRNA.

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Source: FASEB; Photo: MLazarevski/Flickr.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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