Obesity Alters DNA Methylation Patterns In Sperm

An overweight or obese man's sperm can affect the function of important genes that could be passed on to his future children, according to a recent study.

Researchers found that sperm from normal weight and obese men differed in how some genes were turned "on" or "off," as well as the differences seen in gene regions linked to both brain development and appetite control.

"In our study, we found that obese men had different epigenetic signals in their sperm cells compared to lean men, and these signals were carried on genes important for the development of the brain and theregulation of appetite," said study author Romain Barrès, an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Copenhagen, via Live Science.

Durign the study, researchers compared epigenetic markers in the sperm of 13 lean mean to those of 10 obese men. The two groups showed different DNA methylation patterns in their sperm, which included gene regions linked to appetite control. The researchers also studied a group of severely obese men undergoing weight-loss surgery to determine if the genes from the groups would exhibit different DNA methylation patterns after weight loss. DNA methylation patterns cause a gene to function differently, despite structural identity of that same gene. 

Findings showed that post weight-loss surgery, patients who lost weight showed a "dramatic" change in DNA methylation in their sperm.

However, more studies will be needed in order to determine what these changes might mean for future children.

The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

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