Paternal Dietary Habits Can Increase or Decrease Metabolic Syndrome Risk in Offsprings

Maternal nutritional status is known to have a direct impact on fetal health. Further, new studies show that it may even have long-term health influences. Certain maternal lifestyle choices might increase a child’s risk of developing anxiety, mental health issues, and even diabetes during adulthood.

However, little is known about the impact of paternal (father’s) nutritional status on children’s long-term health. Nonetheless, there is increasing evidence that it affects. Understanding this is important to solve the mystery surrounding a sudden and explosive rise of metabolic health issues, mental health problems, obesity, diabetes, dementia, and other health disorders.

Unlike females, males do not carry a child in a womb, which might raise certain questions. However, people need to realize that parents pass genetic information to their children in different ways. In recent years, there has been increased interest in epigenetics. The science of epigenetics shows that lifestyle choices can alter gene expression, and not only that, these changes in gene expression can be passed on to the offspring.

Simply said, the science of epigenetics shows that faulty lifestyle choices may cause changes in how genes work (not essentially in their structure). These changes in how genes work, caused by certain food and lifestyle choices, can adversely affect not only a person’s health but also that of offspring. It means that wrong dietary and nutritional choices at a young age could be one of the factors contributing to the rise of metabolic disorders in future generations. 

The Study Confirms That Paternal Nutritional Choices Influence Offspring Health and Behavior

This latest study regarding the impact of paternal dietary choices on offspring was published in Nature Communications. The study was done in mice. There is a reason to do such studies in mice since they are genetically very close to humans and have a shorter lifespan. This means that paternal dietary choice results can be more readily seen in offspring (1).

In the study, researchers made several interesting observations. The study focused mainly on the intake of three main macronutrients: carbs, fats, and proteins, and their dietary ratios. Researchers noticed that female offspring were more sensitive to paternal nutritional choices. Further, they found that dietary fat intake had the strongest impact.

The researchers found that the offspring of mice fed with a higher fat diet were more likely to develop obesity, with greater deposits of subcutaneous fat and smaller brown fat deposits. On the other hand, offsprings of mice fed with a higher protein diet had leaner offsprings. Similarly, a high-carb diet may also increase the risk of insulin resistance in offspring.

Additionally, the study also focused on behavioral changes in offspring, like offspring of mice fed with high carb and low protein diets were more likely to show anxiety-like behavior. 

Researchers also noted that even the quality of macronutrients impacts offspring’s health. Thus, healthier offspring are born to mammals who were on a diet with a balanced amino acid profile. Similarly, a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids positively impacted the brain function of offspring.

The Bottom Line

Researchers say that paternal environment, dietary habits, and their influence on offspring are some of the most overlooked factors contributing to a higher risk of metabolic disorders. However, with an increased understanding of epigenetics, science is finally starting to understand things.

This study has many implications. It shows the importance of a healthy lifestyle from a young age. Through wrong lifestyle choices, we are not only spoiling our health but also providing a poor start to our offspring by increasing their risk of metabolic health issues.

Epigenetics may explain partially why metabolic disorders started rising suddenly in the middle of the 20th century. It is no secret that the human lifestyle started to change drastically from the late 19th century onwards. Hence, one must remember that a healthy lifestyle does not just mean good health; it also means healthy offspring.

References

1.   Crean AJ, Senior AM, Freire T, Clark TD, Mackay F, Austin G, et al. Paternal dietary macronutrient balance and energy intake drive metabolic and behavioral differences among offspring. Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 6;15(1):2982.