Nghiên cứu khoa học gần đây đã phát hiện ra mối liên hệ đáng ngạc nhiên giữa chế độ ăn uống của người cha và nguy cơ mắc bệnh tim của con gái ông.

Nghiên cứu này cho thấy chế độ ăn uống của người cha trước khi thụ thai có thể ảnh hưởng đến sức khỏe tim mạch của con cái theo giới tính cụ thể. Nó nhấn mạnh vai trò tiềm tàng của di truyền biểu sinh thông qua các RNA nhỏ của tinh trùng trong việc truyền thông tin về chế độ ăn uống từ cha sang con cái. Những phát hiện này nhấn mạnh tầm quan trọng của sức khỏe trước khi thụ thai đối với cả cha mẹ và mở ra những con đường mới cho nghiên cứu về phòng ngừa và điều trị bệnh tim.
https://studyfinds.org/dad-diet-daughters-heart-disease/
Paper Summary
Methodology
The study used LDLR-deficient mice, which are prone to high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Male mice were fed either a normal diet or a high-cholesterol diet for 8 weeks before mating with females on a normal diet. The offspring were then raised on a normal diet until 19 weeks of age. The researchers examined atherosclerotic plaque formation in the offspring’s arteries, analyzed gene expression in their arterial lining, and used the advanced PANDORA-Seq technique to study small RNAs in the fathers’ sperm.
Key Results
Female offspring of high-cholesterol diet fathers had significantly larger arterial plaques compared to those from normal diet fathers, while male offspring showed no difference. The female offspring also showed increased expression of inflammation-related genes in their arterial lining and higher levels of CCN1 and CCN2 proteins in their plaques. The fathers’ sperm showed altered profiles of small RNAs after high-cholesterol diet feeding.
Study Limitations
This study was conducted in mice, and the results may not directly translate to humans. The sample size was relatively small, with 7-8 litters per diet group. The study only looked at one generation of offspring, so it’s unclear if these effects persist across multiple generations. Additionally, the mechanism by which altered sperm RNAs influence offspring gene expression is not fully understood and requires further investigation.
Discussion & Takeaways
This study suggests that paternal diet before conception can influence offspring cardiovascular health in a sex-specific manner. It highlights the potential role of epigenetic inheritance through sperm small RNAs in transmitting dietary information from father to offspring. The findings emphasize the importance of preconception health for both parents and open new avenues for research into heart disease prevention and treatment.
“Our study contributes to understanding the etiology of chronic diseases originating from parental exposures. We hope our findings stimulate investigations of the impact of paternal exposures on offspring cardiovascular health in humans,” Zhou states.