Maternal intermittent fasting before mating alters hepatic DNA methylation in offspring.

Our aim was to explore how maternal intermittent fasting (IF) influences offspring metabolism. A model of female C57BL/6J mice alternate-day feeding before mating was established and alteration of hepatic DNA methylation in offspring analyzed by whole genome bisulfite sequencing. IF dams weighed less (p = 0.03) and had lower random blood glucose levels (p = 0.04). Lower birth weight (p = 0.0031) and impaired glucose metabolism were also observed in the offspring of the IF mice. The hepatic genome-wide DNA methylation maps showed a correlation between maternal IF and decreased hepatic global DNA methylation of adult offspring. In the offspring liver, 2869 differentially methylated DNA regions were altered. Our finding suggests that maternal IF before mating significantly alters hepatic DNA methylation in offspring.