Adelaide University researchers find fathers' sperm link to obesity in children and grandchildren

Updated July 15, 2013 14:14:25

Children could have a greater risk of being overweight if their father is obese, researchers have found.

A team from Adelaide University's Robinson Institute found molecular signals in the sperm of obese fathers could produce diabetes-like symptoms and obesity in two generations of offspring, even if those children ate healthily.

Dr Tod Fullston said it was the first time such a connection had been found.

"A father's diet changes the molecular makeup of the sperm," he said.

"With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm, in their micro-RNA molecules, might program the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life."

Dr Fullston said research had used mice and the next step would be human trials.

"We'll be proposing to do human studies based around that very thing, whether men with a higher BMI (body mass index) do indeed have a different micro-RNA profile within their sperm.

"We'd also like to have a look at whether diet and exercise return that to what it would be in a normal-weight male."

The study found the second generation could face similar metabolic disorders, including obesity, but not as severely.

Dr Fullston says even if an obese father had no signs of diabetes, metabolic disease similar to diabetes could turn up in two generations of descendants.

Topics: medical-research, research, science-and-technology, diet-and-nutrition, health, adolescent-health, child-health-and-behaviour, family-and-children, adelaide-university-5005, adelaide-5000, sa, australia

First posted July 15, 2013 12:44:38

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-15/researchers-find-sperm-link-to-obesity/4820406

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