Paternal Influences on Offspring Bone, Muscle and Body Composition at Birth: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Objectives There is growing evidence for the paternal origins of health and disease. This review aimed to systematically search the literature examining relationships between paternal exposures during early life, peri/conception or pregnancy, and offspring body composition and musculoskeletal health at birth. Data Sources A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library for studies published in English up to October 2024, using relevant subject headings and free‐text terms. Study Eligibility Criteria Observational and experimental studies that assessed paternal exposures during early life, peri/conception, or pregnancy, and their association with offspring body composition and musculoskeletal health at birth, were included. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods Data were extracted, and the studies were descriptively summarised based on the outcome assessed. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022340146) and the PROSPERO registration date was 27 July 2022. Results The search identified 7351 papers, which narrowed down to 5202 after duplicates were removed. Of these, 202 studies reported offspring outcomes at birth. Some paternal exposures, like anthropometrics, were associated with offspring birthweight and birth length. However, many paternal exposures had limited supporting evidence. Conclusions Certain paternal exposures are associated with offspring body composition and musculoskeletal health at birth. Further high‐quality studies are needed to explore additional paternal exposure associations.