In today’s world, food is readily available everywhere. But is this abundance a blessing or a curse?
Let’s turn our attention to the beautiful Överkalix parish of northern Sweden, where overeating customs were traditionally passed down from grandfathers to fathers and then to their children.
Researchers examined data from three cohorts of nearly 300 people born in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Överkalix parish. They sought to determine whether food availability in the early generations had any effect on the health of their descendants.
Their findings may surprise you.
Dad’s Adolescent Diet Affects Offspring
If a father experienced food scarcity during his slow growth period—the years just before the peak of puberty, typically ages 9 to 12 for boys—his children had a 58 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease later in life.
Conversely, if the paternal grandfather experienced an abundance of food during his slow growth phase, the risk of diabetes-related mortality in his grandchildren increased by more than fourfold.
This intriguing finding suggests that a nutrition-linked mechanism, particularly through the male line, plays a significant role in shaping the risk of certain diseases across generations.
Over the past decades, there has been a surge of research on this topic, focusing on the effects of a father’s dietary habits on the health of his offspring.
Scientists have discovered that a father-to-be’s diet can significantly influence the mental and physical health risks of his children.
It’s not just about how much he eats but what he eats. The ratio and balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates seem to have a significant impact, according to animal models. However, human studies on this topic are still limited.
Effects of Dad’s High-Fat Diet on Daughters
Processed foods, typically high in fat, are easily accessible and hard to resist. People consume about
500 more calories per day from ultra-processed foods compared to minimally processed ones, mainly due to their higher fat and carbohydrate content.
However, the negative impact of a high-fat diet can be carried through a father’s sperm.
A study found that after a 12-week high-fat diet, father rats had newborn daughters with about 30 percent reduced pancreatic beta-cell mass. Beta cells are crucial, as they produce insulin.
When rats were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, scientists observed that the pancreas of their female offspring contained fewer insulin-producing cells compared to the offspring of rats fed a normal-fat diet. (The Epoch Times)
As adults, daughter mice had an increased likelihood of glucose intolerance, a preclinical condition of diabetes, with a decline in blood insulin levels.
In a recent Nature study, scientists fed male mice a fatty diet for two weeks, collected their sperm, and created embryos via in vitro fertilization.
They found that the fatty diet of father mice did not affect their offspring’s body weight but caused about 30 percent of male offspring to develop glucose intolerance.
It turns out that a father’s diet alters a specific type of genetic material in the sperm’s mitochondria. These altered molecules, known as transfer RNAs, act like messengers, changing how a child’s genes function without altering the DNA sequence.
Furthermore, animal studies have found that a father’s high-fat diet can affect other aspects of their offspring’s health through sperm, including impaired cognitive function and reduced fertility.
Harmful Effects of Low Protein Diets
The protein level in a father’s diet can also influence gene expression in sperm.
Male mice on a low-protein diet produced offspring with more body fat, metabolic issues, and altered gut bacteria.
These offspring also showed increased gene activity related to fat and cholesterol production in their livers.
A 2020 study by Keisuke Yoshida and Shunsuke Ishii identified an essential protein, ATF7, that plays a crucial role in this process.
In addition to metabolic disorders, the father’s low-protein diet can increase his offspring’s risk of vascular and heart issues, as well as cancer.
Researchers found that fathers who consumed a diet low in protein and high in carbohydrates had sons displaying anxious traits and daughters with increased body fat.
Effects Span Multiple Generations
The most surprising finding was that the diet-related genetic changes in sperm were passed down to more than one generation during sperm production, leading to lasting effects.
Data from the study showed that rats fed a high-fat diet not only experienced glucose intolerance themselves, but also passed this trait to their second-generation offspring.
The study on father mice fed a low-protein diet showed that their offspring had increased body weight and elevated levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) in serum and tissue. ACE is a clinical marker for various chronic diseases, including cardiovascular issues, diabetes, and kidney diseases.
Scientists observed that when mice were fed a low-protein diet, their grandchildren, both male and female, exhibited higher body weight during the first three weeks after birth compared to the offspring of mice fed a normal-protein diet. (The Epoch Times)
These effects were observed not only in the first generation of mice but also in the second generation during their youth.
Scientists observed that when mice were fed a low-protein diet, their grandchildren, both male and female, exhibited elevated expression of disease markers, such as higher activities of serum and kidney ACE, compared to the offspring of mice fed a normal-protein diet. (The Epoch Times)
The Swedish cohort study has shown that a parental grandfather’s diet has long-term effects, with an increased risk of diabetes-related mortality observed in their grandchildren.
Father’s Body Weight
Based on a study published in Nature, an
international group of researchers analyzed data from over 3,000 families and found that a father’s body weight at conception significantly influences his children’s body weight and metabolic health.
This finding persists even when the mother’s weight is considered.
Diet and Male Fertility
Certain foods have positive effects on sperm activity. A comprehensive review highlighted that healthy diets rich in the following nutrients enhance sperm quality:
- Omega-3 fatty acids
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
- β-carotene
- Selenium
- Zinc
- Cryptoxanthin
- Lycopene
- Vitamin D
- Folate
Foods like fish, shellfish, seafood, poultry, cereals, vegetables, and fruits are beneficial for sperm quality.
Following a Mediterranean diet is linked to increased sperm motility.
Conversely, diets high in processed meat, trans fats, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sweets are detrimental to semen quality and may contribute to the declining global fertility rates.
The Legacy of Our Diet
In a world where food is omnipresent, we have seemingly conquered hunger. However, this freedom to eat without restraint comes at a cost.
As scientific research progresses, it’s becoming clear that a father’s dietary journey doesn’t end with him—it transcends time and space, leaving a lasting impact on the well-being of future generations.
The effects of an unhealthy diet can accumulate transgenerationally, potentially contributing to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases today.
The saying “You only live once” (YOLO) suggests indulging in pleasures despite risks, assuming our actions end with us.
However, this isn’t entirely true. Our choices, particularly dietary ones, can affect our children and future generations.
In an era where ultra-processed food is rampant and eating can become an addiction, switching to a whole-food, balanced diet can be challenging.
But remember, we are not just eating for ourselves, but sowing the seeds of health for future generations.
