Father's Diet Before Conception Impacts Children's Health via Epigenetic Inheritance

A study reveals that paternal preconceptional exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) can induce glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in male offspring through epigenetic inheritance of mitochondrial RNAs (mt-tRNAs) in sperm. The research highlights that these diet-induced changes in sperm are reversible and primarily occur during sperm maturation in the epididymis. The findings underscore the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolic health, showing that mt-tRNAs are dynamically regulated by diet and transferred to the oocyte at fertilization, influencing early embryonic development and adult metabolism.