Omega-3 added to father’s diet reduced offspring’s obesity (mice) – June 2024

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Like Father, Like Daughter: Influence of Paternal Diet on Female Offspring Metabolic Health - June 2024

Nutrition 2024 conference
Sunday, June 30, 2024 9:00 AM – 9:12 AM CT Location: W375A
Latha Ramalingam, PhD Assistant Professor Syracuse University Syracuse, New York, United States
Sarah K. Dellett, MA, Graduate Research Assistant. Syracuse University

Objectives: Obesity and chronic disease exhibit genetic links from parent to offspring. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) reduce inflammation and triglycerides, but their role in intergenerational disease risk is unknown. Hence, we investigated n-3 PUFAs during the preconceptional period in fathers, with a focus on sex-dependent mechanisms of inheritance. We hypothesize improved metabolic health in offspring with paternal intake of n-3 PUFAs.

Methods: Male mice were fed low-fat (LF), high-fat (HF), or HF diet supplemented with 36 g fish oil (FO) per kg diet for 10 weeks and mated with LF-fed female. Offspring were fed LF or HF diet after weaning at 3 weeks, creating six groups (LF-LF, HF-LF, FO-LF, LF-HF, HF-HF, and FO-HF). Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed. Data analysis was conducted on R with significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: Offspring BW of FO sires at 7 and 21 days old were lower than offspring BW of HF sires (p < 0.01).
However, sire BW across the intervention period did not differ among groups.
FO-HF females demonstrated improved glucose clearance at 30 minutes compared to HF-HF females (p = 0.03), while no difference in GTT was found between FO-LF and HF-LF groups. Further, FO-HF female offspring had better insulin sensitivity than HF-HF females (p < 0.001), suggesting restored insulin response under obesogenic conditions via paternal n-3 PUFAs intake. No difference among male offspring groups was found. These findings indicate an early infancy programmatic effect on female metabolism due to paternal diet alone.

Conclusions: These preliminary data point to sex-dependent differences in paternal dietary influence, aiding in uncovering gender-equitable solutions to chronic disease mitigation. This is the first study to our knowledge that examines inheritance patterns exclusively in paternal line with analysis of gene expression in muscle and liver currently underway and will undergird an understanding of the genetic basis for improved insulin sensitivity and disease prevention in females.

Funding Sources: American Heart Association

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Effects of Parental Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake on Offspring Microbiome and Immunity (mice) - Jan 2014

PLOS ONE FREE PDF
Ian A. Myles, Nathan B. Pincus, Natalia M. Fontecilla, Sandip K. DattaPLOS x

The “Western diet” is characterized by increased intake of saturated and omega-6 (n−6) fatty acids with a relative reduction in omega-3 (n−3) consumption. These fatty acids can directly and indirectly modulate the gut microbiome, resulting in altered host immunity. Omega-3 fatty acids can also directly modulate immunity through alterations in the phospholipid membranes of immune cells, inhibition of n−6 induced inflammation, down-regulation of inflammatory transcription factors, and by serving as pre-cursors to anti-inflammatory lipid mediators such as resolvins and protectins. We have previously shown that consumption by breeder mice of diets high in saturated and n−6 fatty acids have inflammatory and immune-modulating effects on offspring that are at least partially driven by vertical transmission of altered gut microbiota. To determine if parental diets high in n−3 fatty acids could also affect offspring microbiome and immunity, we fed breeding mice an n−3-rich diet with 40% calories from fat and measured immune outcomes in their offspring. We found offspring from mice fed diets high in n−3 had altered gut microbiomes and modestly enhanced anti-inflammatory IL-10 from both colonic and splenic tissue.
Omega-3 pups were protected during peanut oral allergy challenge with small but measurable alterations in peanut-related serologies. However, n−3 pups displayed a tendency toward worsened responses during E. coli sepsis and had significantly worse outcomes during Staphylococcus aureus skin infection.
Our results indicate excess parental n−3 fatty acid intake alters microbiome and immune response in offspring.

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VitaminDWiki - 14 studies in both categories Obesity and Omega-3

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