Could parental high-fat intake program the reproductive health of male offspring? A review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of parental high-fat diet (HFD) intake on the reproductive health of male offspring, including potential multigenerational impacts.
Results Summary
Parental HFD intake was found to impair male offspring reproductive health, including reduced testosterone production, poor sperm quality, and potential risks for prostate hyperplasia and cancer. These effects could extend to subsequent generations.
Population
Male offspring of parents consuming a high-fat diet prior to conception, during gestation, and lactation.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
High-fat diet (HFD) intake | increase | overweight and obesity | global public | - | can cause | #1 |
Nutritional adversity at vulnerable windows of development | decrease | developing cells and their functions, including germ cells | - | - | can affect | #2 |
parental HFD intake prior to conception and/or during gestation and lactation | decrease | reproductive health of male offspring | male offspring | - | could program | #3 |
parental HFD intake prior to conception and/or during gestation and lactation | decrease | the first as well as subsequent generations | first as well as subsequent generations | - | resulting in impairment of | #4 |
adipose tissue and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis imbalance | decrease | production of gonadotropins | male offspring | - | can impair | #5 |
adipose tissue and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis imbalance | decrease | testosterone production and pubertal onset | male offspring | - | leading to dysfunction of | #6 |
oxidative stress | decrease | testosterone production and spermatogenesis | - | - | causing poor | #7 |
oxidative stress | decrease | low sperm count, viability, and motility; and abnormal sperm morphology | - | - | causing | #8 |
oxidative stress | decrease | low sperm quality | - | - | results in | #9 |
Parental HFD intake | increase | prostate hyperplasia and cancer | advanced age | - | could also be a risk factor for | #10 |
Parental HFD intake | decrease | reproductive pattern of male offspring | male offspring | - | can impact | #11 |
Parental HFD intake | decrease | the subsequent generations | subsequent generations | - | resulting in impairments in | #12 |
High-fat diet (HFD) intake can cause overweight and obesity and has become a global public health concern in recent years. Nutritional adversity at vulnerable windows of development can affect developing cells and their functions, including germ cells. Evidence shows that parental HFD intake prior to conception and/or during gestation and lactation could program the reproductive health of male offspring, ultimately resulting in impairment of the first as well as subsequent generations. In male offspring, adipose tissue and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis imbalance can impair the production of gonadotropins, leading to dysfunction of testosterone production and pubertal onset. The gonads can be directly impaired through oxidative stress, causing poor testosterone production and spermatogenesis; low sperm count, viability, and motility; and abnormal sperm morphology, which results in low sperm quality. Parental HFD intake could also be a risk factor for prostate hyperplasia and cancer in advanced age. It can impact the reproductive pattern of male offspring resulting in impairments in the subsequent generations. The investigation of semen quality must be extended to epidemiological and clinical studies of the male offspring of overweight and/or obese parents in order to improve the quality of human semen. This review addresses the effects of parental HFD intake on the reproductive parameters of male offspring and discusses the possible underlying mechanisms.