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Review
. 2019 Oct;62(10):1802-1810.
doi: 10.1007/s00125-019-4919-9. Epub 2019 Aug 27.

Paternal impact on the life course development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring

Gemma C Sharp  1   2 , Debbie A Lawlor  3   4   5
Affiliations
Review

Paternal impact on the life course development of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the offspring

Gemma C Sharp et al. Diabetologia. 2019 Oct.

Abstract

The aetiologies of obesity and type 2 diabetes are incredibly complex, but the potential role of paternal influences remains relatively understudied. A better understanding of paternal influences on offspring risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes could have profound implications for public health, clinical practice and society. In this review, we outline potential biological and social mechanisms through which fathers might exert an impact on the health of their offspring. We also present a systematically compiled overview of the current evidence linking paternal factors to offspring development of obesity and type 2 diabetes throughout the life course. Although evidence is accumulating to support paternal associations with offspring outcomes, more high-quality research is needed to overcome specific methodological challenges and provide stronger causal evidence.

Keywords: Developmental origins of health and disease; Epigenetics; Fathers; Life course development; Obesity; Paternal effects; Review; Type 2 diabetes.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Potential mechanism through which fathers might have an impact on offspring health, including obesity and risk of type 2 diabetes. Pathways for ‘true’ paternal effects are highlighted in blue (direct paternal impact) and purple (indirect paternal impact). Genetic pathways (which are not considered ‘true’ paternal effects [19]) are shown in grey. For simplicity, not all potential connections are depicted here (e.g. we have not drawn a connection from offspring genetics to offspring epigenetics, although one exists). This figure is available as part of a downloadable slideset
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A summary of the outcomes, exposures and mechanisms explored by 116 studies that showed at least correlative evidence linking paternal characteristics to offspring risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. The data used to produce this figure is provided in ESM Table 1. T2D, type 2 diabetes. This figure is available as part of a downloadable slideset
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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