If you are an obese father, then beware. You are not only endangering your own health and well-being, but also that of your children---and even grandchildren!
Scientists at the Victor Chang and Garvan Institutes say that obese dads transfer their metabolic problems, heart diseases and even diabetes to their offspring.
If only maternal obesity is spoken about, there is an unnecessary overload of guilt that gets transferred to mothers, said lead researcher and associate professor at Victor Chang, Catherine Suter. A father's health is equally important for a baby, she said.
Scientists conducted research on mice and found that male offspring of obese fathers got pre-diabetic symptoms. Obesity tended to shoot up the glucose levels within just a few weeks of eating "high-sugar, high-fat junk food diet." The children even contracted fatty liver disease.
Surprisingly, even the second generation mice were not spared, and showed the same symptoms, even if their fathers were healthy.
"It's worrying because so many people are obese or overweight and many are in their reproductive years ... We need to be aware that dad's health is just as important [as mum's], and has an independent contribution not just to the health of their children but the next generation," Chang told The Sydney Morning Herald.
It is clear that "metabolic phenotypes, and not genetic inheritance", were being transmitted through non-coding RNA in sperm. Hence, the cycle of obesity needs to be broken, even with simple lifestyle changes.
The study was published in the journal Molecular Metabolism.
