2p pills taken by fathers could prevent children from gaining weight

Dads could be popping a daily fish oil pill to stop their kids from packing on the pounds, according to new research. What the father-to-be eats and drinks has an influence on the health of his child, scientists say.

And a new study in mice suggests that a father’s fish oil supplement may reduce the risk of obesity in his children. The number of young people aged five to 19 who are clinically obese has increased from 31 million in 1990 to 160 million in 2022, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Gaining weight at a young age can increase the risk of serious health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol — and can also lead to low self-esteem and depression, doctors say. To find out whether fathers’ diets could influence the health of their children, US researchers fed male mice a high-fat diet with or without added fish oil.

They found that the offspring of males who consumed fish oil had lower body weight and had better metabolic health than the offspring of fathers who were not supplemented with fish oil. Study leader Dr Latha Ramalingam said: ‘Although further human studies are needed, this finding opens up a new frontier in our understanding of how parents, beyond just genetics, influence the well-being of their offspring.

“Fish oil, a readily available and safe supplement, could become a powerful weapon in our fight for a healthier future generation.” The research team says it is the first study to examine patterns of inheritance exclusively in the paternal line.

It builds on their previous work, which showed the benefits of fish oil supplementation in mothers for reducing the risk of childhood obesity. The research team fed more than 140 male mice a high-fat diet with or without added fish oil for the new study.

They were then paired with female mice that ate a regular healthy, low-fat diet.

The research team found that offspring who were fed a healthy low-fat diet and fathered by males who received fish oil weighed less at both seven and 21 days than male offspring who did not receive fish oil. Female offspring of males given fish oil also had improved metabolic health as measured by glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity.

Dr. Ramalingam, assistant professor of nutrition at Syracuse University, New York, said: “This concept offers significant potential to reshape our strategies to combat childhood obesity. Imagine a future where pre-conception nutritional guidance is not directed exclusively at mothers, but also involves fathers, allowing them to play a more active role in promoting the well-being of their children from the very beginning.”

The research team is now studying the potential mechanisms by which dietary changes affect sperm. The latest findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago.