Transgenerational epigenetics, paternal obesity, and insulin resistance

Abstract

Abstract The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. The observed rapid increase in obesity rates in such a short period of time strongly suggests that not only genetic but also epigenetic mechanisms and social and environmental influences are responsible. The contribution of increased parental body mass index (BMI) to risk of increased offspring BMI and associated comorbidities, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, is supported by a large body of epidemiological and clinical data. This chapter will focus on the role of paternal diet in shaping the metabolic fate of offspring and what we have learned from animal models about the underlying epigenetic mechanisms. The disturbing fact is that paternal and even great-grandpaternal diet and behavior can contribute to an individual s metabolic status, but the redeeming reality is that many of the associated epigenetic modifications are potentially reversible.