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Paternal Diet and Epigenetic Inheritance: Unveiling Nutritional Influences on Offspring Metabolic Programming
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This review synthesizes evidence on how paternal dietary patterns before conception alter the sperm epigenome and influence offspring metabolic health through DNA methylation, histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs. The review also explores novel mediators including microplastics, gut metabolites, and circadian disruptions that interact with sperm epigenetics and advocates for including paternal nutrition in public health strategies.
Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of paternal nutrition in shaping the metabolic health of offspring through epigenetic inheritance mechanisms.This review synthesizes recent advances (2015 to 2025) in understanding how paternal dietary patterns before conception modulate the sperm epigenome and influence transgenerational metabolic programming.Central to this process are dynamic alterations in DNA methylation, histone modifications, and Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which serve as molecular carriers of environmental information from father to offspring.High-fat or protein-restricted paternal diets have been consistently associated with aberrant methylation of key metabolic genes, shifts in histone acetylation and methylation, and changes in sperm-borne miRNAs, collectively predisposing offspring to obesity, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance.Advanced molecular tools, including bisulfite sequencing, ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq, have enabled precise profiling of these heritable epigenetic signatures.The review also examines experimental and human epidemiological studies that confirm the persistence of these effects into adulthood, reinforcing the long-term implications of paternal nutritional status.Importantly, emerging strategies such as nutritional supplementation, CRISPR-based epigenome editing, and personalized preconception dietary interventions offer promising avenues to mitigate adverse transgenerational outcomes.Furthermore, the review explores novel biochemical mediators, microplastics, gut-derived metabolites, circadian disruptions, and phytochemicals that interact with sperm epigenetics and highlights the future potential of artificial intelligence in predicting epigenetic inheritance patterns.By integrating molecular, epidemiological, and computational insights, this review underscores the underrecognized yet profound influence of paternal diet on offspring health and advocates for the inclusion of paternal nutrition in public health discourse and preventive strategies.Addressing this gap is imperative for curbing the intergenerational transmission of metabolic disorders and promoting lifelong health across generations.
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Paternal Microplastic Exposure Alters Sperm Small Noncoding RNAs and Affects Offspring Metabolic Health in Mice
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Researchers found that paternal microplastic exposure in mice altered sperm small noncoding RNA profiles and had sex-specific effects on offspring metabolic health, including altered body composition and worsened insulin resistance in female offspring fed a high-fat diet. The study suggests that microplastic exposure may cause intergenerational health effects transmitted through epigenetic changes in sperm.
Paternal Inheritance Is an Important, but Overlooked, Factor Affecting the Adverse Effects of Microplastics and Nanoplastics on Subsequent Generations
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This review highlights that paternal exposure to microplastics and nanoplastics can transmit adverse effects to offspring through epigenetic inheritance, a pathway largely overlooked in multigenerational toxicity research. The authors call for greater focus on paternal transmission mechanisms to fully understand intergenerational risks.
The Silent Legacy: Paternal and Maternal Exposure to Microplastics and Differential DNA Methylation in Human Oocytes and Zygotes
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This review examined evidence that both paternal and maternal microplastic exposures can alter DNA methylation patterns in human oocytes and zygotes, with potential intergenerational reproductive consequences. The authors found that phthalates and BPA carried by microplastics are likely epigenetic disruptors at the earliest stages of human development, though direct mechanistic evidence in humans remains limited.
Epigenetic rescue of the male germline: Plant-derived bioactive compounds as modulators of transgenerational reproductive risks induced by bisphenols and microplastics
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This review pulls together existing lab research suggesting that everyday exposure to bisphenols (like BPA) and microplastics may damage sperm not just by harming fertility directly, but by altering chemical "tags" on DNA that can potentially be passed down to future generations. Encouragingly, the researchers found early evidence that certain plant compounds—found in foods like fruits, vegetables, and herbs—might help reverse some of this damage by protecting sperm cells and restoring healthy DNA patterns. It's important to note this is still mostly animal and lab-based research, not yet proven in humans, but it opens the door to future pr
Supplemental Data for "Paternal microplastic exposure alters sperm small non-coding RNAs and affects offspring metabolic health in mice"
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This dataset provides supplemental data for a study examining how paternal microplastic exposure in mice alters small non-coding RNAs in sperm, with downstream effects on offspring metabolic health.
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