Overview

• The study published May 27 in Nature Communications Biology examined epigenetic profiles of 339 individuals aged 7 to 51 to explore paternal body composition changes during adolescence.
• Researchers identified methylation alterations at over 2,000 sites across 1,962 genes involved in adipogenesis and lipid metabolism in offspring of fathers who became overweight as early teens.
• Those epigenetic changes corresponded with increased risks of obesity, asthma and reduced lung function, indicating inheritable health impacts.
• Female descendants exhibited stronger methylation signals than males, highlighting sex-specific vulnerability to paternal adolescent obesity.
• Puberty emerged as a critical window for lifestyle-driven DNA modifications, suggesting new avenues for global public health strategies against childhood obesity.