Paternal overweight/obesity and offspring neuropsychological development: association and mechanisms / 中华围产医学杂志

ABSTRACT

The impact of parental obesity on offspring health attracts increasing attention with the rising obese population worldwide. Much more studies have concentrated on the influences of maternal obesity, while studies regarding paternal obesity were relatively few and mainly focused on glucose and insulin regulation, adiposity, etc. Several large cohort studies and animal experiments have shown that paternal obesity can damage the neuropsychological development in offspring, which has become a risk factor for autistic spectrum disorders, cognitive disorders, and lower intelligence quotient, and epigenetic studies have explored the related mechanisms. This review summarizes the progress in this field, aiming to provide a reference for basic and clinical research in the future.