New Delhi: Fathers play a pivotal role in determining whether their children are likely to be obese or not, researchers at University of California, Irvine have found.
The study titled ‘The Role of Fathers in the Intergenerational Transmission of Obesity’ was published in the journal Current Obesity Reports on 26 May. It highlights that obesity can even affect sperm quality and alter “epigenetic markers” passed on to children — biological signals shaped by behaviour and environment that influence how genes function.
“Obesity is not simply the result of individual choices. This work highlights that obesity risk is 40 to 70 percent heritable and can be passed across generations through complex biological and environmental influences,” corresponding author Matthew Landry, assistant professor of population health and disease prevention and a registered dietitian nutritionist, said in a press release.
Earlier research has also linked maternal overweight and obesity before pregnancy and during childhood with a higher risk of obesity in children and adolescents. A 2022 systematic review, for instance, found that maternal weight was associated with children’s obesity risk.
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Why fathers matter
Researchers have found that over 250 million people in the US are expected to be overweight or obese by 2050. The study highlighted that childhood obesity is often researched by focusing on maternal health. However, their findings suggest that what is often dismissed as a ‘dad bod’ could hide health factors that shape the wellbeing of children.
When researchers analysed the sperm quality of obese men, they found that obesity can impact how certain genes linked to children’s metabolism, appetite regulation, and long-term disease risk function.
The consumption of certain substances can have an impact as well.
“A father’s substance use of tobacco and alcohol can have significant consequences for child health,” the study reads. It explains that smoking can damage the DNA and the sperm, altering the genes that regulate growth.
These are just some of the biological aspects of how a father impacts a child’s health. Research has also shown that fathers’ eating habits and physical activity levels are linked to children’s diet, activity, and obesity risk.
However, scientists have also highlighted that the damage that obesity can do to sperm may be reversible. Weight loss, lifestyle changes, and even bariatric surgery can improve sperm health and modify obesity-related epigenetic patterns that may be passed on to children.
“Fathers have historically been overlooked in maternal and child health research and intervention efforts,” Landry said. “Recognizing fathers as active contributors to family health creates new opportunities to improve outcomes for future generations.”