Animal study suggests paternal fish oil supplementation may lower obesity risk in offspring

A study conducted on mice has uncovered a potential new tool to combat the growing issue of childhood obesity. Research suggests that a simple change in diet, in the form of a fish oil supplement taken by fathers, can help address pressing health concerns.

The number of youth ages 5 to 19 who are obese has increased from 31 million in 1990 to 160 million in 2022, according to the World Health Organization. This excess weight can increase the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression.

To find out if the paternal diet could influence the health of the offspring, the researchers gave male rats a high-fat diet with or without added fish oil. They found that the offspring of men who consumed fish oil had lower body weights and showed better metabolic health than the offspring of fathers who did not supplement with fish oil.

“While further human studies are needed, this discovery opens a new frontier in our understanding of how parents, beyond genetics, influence the well-being of their offspring,” said Latha Ramalingam, Ph .D., assistant professor of nutrition at Syracuse University. “Fish oil, an easily available and safe supplement, can be a powerful weapon in our fight for a healthier future generation.”

Sarah Dellet, a graduate student in Ramalingam’s lab, is presenting the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the major annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held June 29–July 2 in Chicago.

The researchers say this is the first study to examine patterns of inheritance exclusively in the paternal line. This builds on their previous work, which showed the benefits of fish oil supplementation in mothers for reducing childhood obesity risk.

In the new study, which involved nearly 150 mice, researchers fed male mice a high-fat diet with or without added fish oil. They were then paired with female mice that ate a regular healthy low-fat diet.

The researchers found that offspring fed a low-fat healthy diet and fathered by men who received fish oil were seven and 21 days younger than the offspring of men who did not receive fish oil. Female offspring from males receiving fish oil also had improved metabolic health as measured by glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity.

“This concept offers great potential to reshape our strategies in the fight against childhood obesity,” said Ramalingam. “Imagine a future where pre-conception dietary guidance is not only directed at mothers, but also includes fathers, allowing them to play a more active role in promoting their children’s well-being from the start just yet.”

Researchers are now studying the potential mechanisms by which dietary changes affect sperm, aiming to better understand how this information transfer influences the next generation. They also investigated muscle and liver gene expression to gain deeper insights into the genetic underpinnings of enhanced insulin sensitivity in women.