Summary: A father’s diet before conception can impact his children’s health, particularly their susceptibility to metabolic diseases. The

Dad’s Diet Before Conception Affects Kids’ Health

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2024-06-09 18:30:04

Summary: A father’s diet before conception can impact his children’s health, particularly their susceptibility to metabolic diseases. The study, using data from the LIFE Child cohort and mouse models, revealed that paternal diet influences sperm RNA, affecting gene expression in offspring. This underscores the importance of paternal health in preventive care.

Dr. Raffaele Teperino, head of the “Environmental Epigenetics” research group at Helmholtz Munich, along with his research team, has examined the impact of paternal diet on children’s health – specifically, the influence of diet before conception.

The researchers focused on special small RNA molecules in sperm, known as mitochondrial tRNA fragments (mt-tsRNAs, see background). These RNAs play a key role in the inheritance of health traits by regulating gene expression.

The analyses showed that the father’s body weight influences the weight of the children and their susceptibility to metabolic diseases.