title: Paternal body mass index (BMI) is associated with offspring intrauterine growth in a gender dependent manner.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Environmental alternations leading to fetal programming of cardiovascular diseases in later life have been attributed to maternal factors. However, animal studies showed that paternal obesity may program cardio-metabolic diseases in the offspring. In the current study we tested the hypothesis that paternal BMI may be associated with fetal growth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed the relationship between paternal body mass index (BMI) and birth weight, ultrasound parameters describing the newborn's body shape as well as parameters describing the newborns endocrine system such as cortisol, aldosterone, renin activity and fetal glycated serum protein in a birth cohort of 899 father/mother/child triplets. Since fetal programming is an offspring sex specific process, male and female offspring were analyzed separately. Multivariable regression analyses considering maternal BMI, paternal and maternal age, hypertension during pregnancy, maternal total glycated serum protein, parity and either gestational age (for birth weight) or time of ultrasound investigation (for ultrasound parameters) as confounding showed that paternal BMI is associated with growth of the male but not female offspring. Paternal BMI correlated with birth parameters of male offspring only: birth weight; biparietal diameter, head circumference; abdominal diameter, abdominal circumference; and pectoral diameter. Cortisol was likewise significantly correlated with paternal BMI in male newborns only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Paternal BMI affects growth of the male but not female offspring. Paternal BMI may thus represent a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases of male offspring in later life. It remains to be demonstrated whether this is linked to an offspring sex specific paternal programming of cortisol secretion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, first Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: You-Peng
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xiao-Min
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reichetzeder
authors.forename: Zi-Neng
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hocher
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D020567:Fetal Weight; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone