A Pilot Study to Examine Metabolic Flexibility as a Mechanism for Diet- Induced Epigenetic Alterations in Male Gametes
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Summary
This is a pilot study in 10 men to test the hypothesis that perturbations in substrate flux and the circulating metabolic and pro-inflammatory milieus during a high-fat diet paradigm will modulate DNA methylation of genes in sperm associated with obesity and cardiometabolic dysfunction.
Description
The Paternal Origins of Health and Disease (POHaD) hypothesis was introduced to emphasize the need for research on paternal transmission of environmental exposures on offspring disease development. Paternal exposure to an obesogenic diet has been shown to imprint epigenetic predisposition to metabolic diseases which can be evident in offspring for up to 5 generations. In support, observational studies in men show that high-fat diets and diets high in processed foods significantly reduced the quantity and quality of sperm, including motility, morphology, and concentration, and DNA methylation o…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 20–35 years
- Sex
- Male
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * Male based on biological sex * Age 20-35 years * BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2 * White/Caucasian * Willing to consume pre-prepared meals * Willing to wear an accelerometer and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) * Willing to track diet intake * Willing to stay 24 hours, including overnight in a research clinic * Willing to provide blood and sperm samples * Willing to consent to whole-genome sequencing of DNA Exclusion Criteria: * Unstable weight in the last 3 months (±5% weight loss or gain) * Shift work or working in a factory setting * Habitual smoking or use of tobac…
Location
- Pennington Biomedical Research CenterBaton Rouge, Louisiana