A father’s diet shapes his children’s early development

The link between a mother’s diet and her child’s health is well documented. That a father’s diet also matters is less recognized. Yet there is growing evidence that paternal diet before fertilization can influence early embryo and placenta development, through changes in sperm cells that are separate from DNA itself.

The researchers fed male mice for eight weeks on four different diets: a control diet, a low-protein diet, a high-fat and high-sugar Western diet, or either of those two supplemented with methyl donors. Methyl donors are compounds that can influence gene regulation without altering the DNA itself, a process called epigenetics. After mating, mothers and offspring were monitored.

What the placenta reveals

Mice on the Western diet showed signs of increased fat mass, changes in gut microbiota, and altered expression of certain genes in the testes. After fertilization, the placenta was found to be changed. Normally, hundreds of genes are differentially active between male and female placentas. In offspring of fathers on an altered diet, that difference was largely gone. That is a striking finding: sex-specific differentiation in the placenta appears to be disrupted by paternal diet.

The baseline fertility of the fathers remained intact. Effects emerged later, in placental structure and early embryo weight. That makes early detection more difficult.

Epigenetics as a bridge between generations

The study, published in eLife, offers a mechanistic clue: through epigenetic signals in sperm cells, paternal dietary choices may be transmitted to the next generation. How this works in humans remains unclear. The findings are preliminary, but they broaden the conversation about preconception health to include both parents.

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