Research
Hormonal
Intergenerational transmission of risk via microbiome, epigenetics, and noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) contributes to the obesity epidemic by increasing susceptibility to weight gain in offspring of obese parents, independent of current energy intake.
If you have a family history of obesity, focus on a healthy diet and lifestyle for yourself and your children. This can help mitigate the biological risks transmitted through the microbiome and epigenetics.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Potential pathways include maternal-to-infant transmission of microbiome species... in utero epigenetic changes... and inter- or transgenerational transmission of sperm or oocyte noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs).
Why this rating
Supported by observational and animal studies, but the paper calls for more rigorous scientific inquiry.
Source
Perspective: Obesity—an unexplained epidemic
Dariush Mozaffarian · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2022
DOI 10.1093/ajcn/nqac075
narrative_reviewCited 104×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Obesity prevalence has increased significantly in the US since 1980 despite a plateau or decline in national energy intake and stable or increasing physical activity levels since 2000.Moderate
- Highly processed foods containing 'acellular' nutrients (refined starches/sugars lacking cellular structure) promote obesity by altering gut microbiome composition, increasing host nutrient absorption, and reducing microbiome energy use.Moderate
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