New research shows how a father's health affects the health of his children
| Oct 23, 2018, 10:44 IST
In a new study led by Kristin Stanford, of The Ohio State University College of Medicine at the Wexner Medical Center, paternal exercise has been referred to as significant as it ultimately has an impact on the metabolic health of offspring well into their adulthood.
“This work is an important step in learning about metabolic disease and prevention at the cellular level,” said Dr K. Craig Kent. Using a mouse model to conduct the research, the researchers deduced post the experiment that the adult offspring from sires who exercised had improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight and a decreased fat mass. “Here’s what’s really interesting; offspring from the dads fed a high-fat diet fared worse, so they were more glucose intolerant. But exercise negated that effect,” Stanford said. “When the dad exercised, even on a high-fat diet, we saw improved metabolic health in their adult offspring,” Stanford added. “We saw a strong change in their small-RNA profile. Now we want to see exactly which small-RNAs are responsible for these metabolic improvements, where it’s happening in the offspring and why,” Stanford said.
“This work is an important step in learning about metabolic disease and prevention at the cellular level,” said Dr K. Craig Kent. Using a mouse model to conduct the research, the researchers deduced post the experiment that the adult offspring from sires who exercised had improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight and a decreased fat mass. “Here’s what’s really interesting; offspring from the dads fed a high-fat diet fared worse, so they were more glucose intolerant. But exercise negated that effect,” Stanford said. “When the dad exercised, even on a high-fat diet, we saw improved metabolic health in their adult offspring,” Stanford added. “We saw a strong change in their small-RNA profile. Now we want to see exactly which small-RNAs are responsible for these metabolic improvements, where it’s happening in the offspring and why,” Stanford said.