A recent study conducted by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research provides new insights into how fathers' diets and overweight can affect their children's health even before conception. The findings of the study can help develop preventive health measures for men wishing to become fathers: The healthier the father's diet, the lower the risk for their children to develop obesity or diseases such as diabetes later in life. 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.
For their study, the researchers used data from the LIFE Child cohort, which includes information from over 3,000 families. The analyses showed that the father's body weight influences the weight of the children and their susceptibility to metabolic diseases. This influence exists independently from other factors such as the mother's weight, the parental genetics, or environmental conditions.
To verify the results of their analysis, the research team subsequently conducted experiments with mice. These mice were fed a high-fat diet, meaning food with a higher fat content.
