New Delhi: A child’s health is always linked to the health of their mothers. The nutrition of the mother is directly proportional to the child’s health and growth. But have you ever thought what is the role of the father’s health on a child’s health? A recent study has revealed that a father’s diet before the birth of a child could have played a major role in their health.
The study was released earlier this month in Nature and has been conducted by German research group Helmholtz Munich. The data of the study was finalised after inspecting more than 3,000 families. While doing this, they found a trend that linked the father’s body weight and their children’s, even when accounting for genetics, maternal health and environmental factors. However, laboratory testing conducted as part of the study may indicate that the impacts come down to a small window of time around conception, perhaps a matter of days or weeks.
A good diet for fathers may reduce the risk of obesity and diabetes
As per the researchers, the diet of the fathers is extremely important for the child and it can reduce the risk of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in kids.
Traditionally, the maternal body mass index (BMI) has been linked with health outcomes for children, but the study has revealed that among families with low BMI mothers, a high-BMI father increases the risk of obesity risk of the child, alongside impacts insulin sensitivity. To find out the link between the relationships found in the tests in mice, examine sperm samples of specimens exposed to high-and low-fat diets. In the study, the researcher’s mice were higher fat for just two weeks and were found to produce offspring with a higher risk of metabolic disease.
This included some cases of a lower tolerance for sugar and insulin resistance. While comparing their findings among mice against human genome data, the researchers found that there are similar genetic signatures between the high-fat, sugar-intolerant mice and childhood obesity in humans.
Moreover, mice in the high-fat group returned to normal diets for four more weeks, and none of the same effects were in their offspring. As per the researchers, the high-fat impacts were reversible which means a would-be father who’s been having a poor diet may be able to undo the effects if they eat a healthier diet shortly just before conception.
As per the researchers, the diet of the fathers is extremely important for the child and it can reduce the risk of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in kids. Health Conditions Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
