Early-Onset Obesity In Father Linked To Increased Potential For Liver Disease In Child

Bethesda, MD (April 1, 2008) – A history of early-onset paternal obesity increases the odds of elevated liver enzyme levels in offspring and points to the potential for a genetic link between obesity and liver disease, according to a study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. This new study found that participants with paternal early-onset obesity had higher serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels than those without paternal obesity. These results showed that children with fathers who were defined as clinically obese at an early age were more likely to have increased liver enzyme levels, an indicator of liver disease. A secondary analysis, excluding obese offspring, produced a strengthened connection between paternal early-onset obesity and elevated serum ALT levels, demonstrating that the link between obesity in the father and elevated serum ALT levels in the offspring is independent of the child’s body mass index (BMI) and persists among non-obese children. No relationship between maternal early-onset obesity and ALT levels was found.