Effect of Maternal and Paternal Nutrition on DNA Methylation in the Offspring: A Systematic Review of Human and Animal Studies

Abstract

Maternal or paternal diet may influence health throughout the life course. This is a systematic review of studies in humans and animals specifically investigating DNA methylation in progeny in relation to diet of the mother or father, or previous generations. There is an overview of the types of diet studied and the metabolic paths affected. Food deprivation in humans and animal models, studies on imprinted genes, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and influence of paternal diet are discussed.