About this Research Topic
Research has traditionally focused on the maternal impact on offspring health, determining that women are primarily responsible for the intergenerational transmission of obesity. However, there has been an increasing awareness that male obesity may negatively impact fertility, pregnancy, and the health of the offspring.
Obesity can induce epigenetic changes in sperm before conception, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA damage in sperm. Such increased sperm DNA damage has been linked with adverse consequences in pregnancy, embryo development, and offspring health outcomes. Recent data also suggests that paternal nutrition and weight status can alter placental function in offspring.
Paternal influences on offspring should not be overlooked and more research is needed to study the link between paternal health at the time of conception and the growth of his offspring. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to gather the latest research on paternal obesity and the following subtopics, including but not limited to:
- Obesity-induced paternal programming effects on offspring’s metabolic and reproductive health respectively.
- Effects of paternal obesity on the long-term health of offspring.
- Influence of paternal obesity on placenta development.
- Paternal obesity in pregnancy complications and outcomes.
- Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to minimize the effects of paternal obesity on offspring.
- Biomarkers to disclose obesity risk dependent on parental pre-conception obesity.
Obesity can induce epigenetic changes in sperm before conception, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and DNA damage in sperm. Such increased sperm DNA damage has been linked with adverse consequences in pregnancy, embryo development, and offspring health outcomes. Recent data also suggests that paternal nutrition and weight status can alter placental function in offspring.
Paternal influences on offspring should not be overlooked and more research is needed to study the link between paternal health at the time of conception and the growth of his offspring. Therefore, this Research Topic aims to gather the latest research on paternal obesity and the following subtopics, including but not limited to:
- Obesity-induced paternal programming effects on offspring’s metabolic and reproductive health respectively.
- Effects of paternal obesity on the long-term health of offspring.
- Influence of paternal obesity on placenta development.
- Paternal obesity in pregnancy complications and outcomes.
- Pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to minimize the effects of paternal obesity on offspring.
- Biomarkers to disclose obesity risk dependent on parental pre-conception obesity.
Keywords: paternal obesity; paternal programming; fetal development; offspring; pregnancy
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