Dads-to-be who take 2p pill every day could stop their children getting fat, scientists say
DADS-to-be who pop a daily fish oil pill could stop their kids piling on the pounds, according to new research.
The cheap 2p supplement could become a “powerful weapon” for lowering the risk of childhood obesity, scientists claimed.
It’s not just the mum’s diet that influences a child’s health.
What a father-to-be eats and drinks might have an impact, a study conducted on mice showed.
It suggests that a dad might be able to lower the risk of obesity in his children by taking a daily fish oil supplement.
The number of young people aged five to 19 who are clinically obese rose from 31 million in 1990 to 160 million in 2022, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In England, more than one in five kids in Year 6 are now obese, with the rate increasing as a result of the pandemic.
Piling on the pounds at a young age can increase the risk of serious health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol – and may also lead to poor self-esteem and depression, say doctors.
To find out whether dads’ diets could influence the health of their children, American researchers fed male mice a high-fat diet with or without the addition of fish oil.
They found that the children of the males that consumed fish oil had a lower body weight and showed better metabolic health than the offspring of mice who didn’t consume fish oil supplements.
Study leader Dr Latha Ramalingam said: “While further human studies are needed, this discovery opens a new frontier in our understanding of how parents, beyond just genetics, influence their offspring’s well-being.
“Fish oil, a readily available and safe supplement, could become a powerful weapon in our fight for a healthier next generation.”
The research team say it is the first study to examine inheritance patterns passed down exclusively from the father.
It builds on their previous work, which showed the benefits of mums taking fish oil supplements to cut the risk of childhood obesity.
The research team fed more than 140 male mice a high-fat diet either with or without added fish oil for the new study.
They were then mated with female mice that consumed a regular healthy low-fat diet.
The research team found that offspring that were fed a low-fat healthy diet and fathered by males receiving fish oil weighed less at both seven and 21 days, compared to the offspring of the male mice who didn’t receive fish oil.
Female offspring from males receiving fish oil also had better metabolic health – measured by glucose clearance and sensitivity to insulin.
Metabolic health relates to the way your body processes things like fats and sugar.
A key component is how the body responds to insulin. Insulin helps move sugar from the blood into cells in your body.
When this process starts to not work as well, we build up something called insulin resistance, which causes blood sugar levels to rise.
Higher blood sugar levels are linked to a larger waist size, increased blood pressure and higher levels of unhealthy fats like cholesterol in the body, according to Bupa.
Dr Ramalingam, assistant professor in nutrition at Syracuse University, New York, said the study’s findings held “significant potential to reshape our strategies in combating childhood obesity”.
She added: “Picture a future where pre-conception dietary guidance isn’t solely directed at mothers, but also involves fathers, enabling them to play a more active role in promoting their children’s well-being right from the start.”
The research team is now studying how dietary changes may affect sperm.
The latest findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago.
The study comes after Chinese researchers found a link between regularly taking cod liver oil and an increased risk of stroke and atrial fibrillation, in people who don’t already have heart disease.
What are the benefits of fish oil supplements?
MILLIONS take fish oil supplements to stay limber, as they claim to boost joint, brain and eye health.
Fish oil is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, also found in foods like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and canola oil.
Omega-3 fatty acids play important roles in brain function, normal growth and development, and inflammation.
Deficiencies have been linked to a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, mood disorders and arthritis.
But that doesn’t mean taking high doses of fish oil supplements will give you better health or prevent these diseases.
Instead, health experts advise you get your nutrients from foods rather than pills.
As Howard LeWine, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, puts it: “If we could absolutely, positively say that the benefits of eating seafood comes entirely from omega-3 fats, then downing fish oil pills would be an alternative to eating fish.
“But it’s more than likely that you need the entire orchestra of fish fats, vitamins, minerals, and supporting molecules, rather than the lone notes of omega-3’s.”
According to Tracy Parker, a Senior Dietician at British Heart Foundation: “A healthy, balanced diet which includes oily fish can provide you with omega-3 and all the other nutrients essential for keeping your heart healthy.
“The traditional Mediterranean diet has been shown time and again to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.”
Sources: Harvard Health, BHF