Dietary fat consumption has well-established associations with inflammatory disease, in part through its effects on the host microbiota. In the Journal of Immunology, Datta and colleagues investigate the influence of the dietary fat of parents on the immune responsiveness of their offspring. They feed female mice a high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy and nursing, but switch their offspring to standard chow after weaning. Adult mice raised by female mice fed a HFD have enhanced responses in a broad variety of inflammatory, autoimmune and allergic models. However, the offspring of female mice fed a HFD show no obvious increase in signatures associated with obesity or glucose intolerance. Instead, these mice show alterations in the gut microbiome, including diminished overall diversity and a relative shift toward Firmicutes. Exposure of parents to a HFD may therefore have lasting effects on the immune system of their offspring through the influence of the HFD on microbial diversity.

J. Immunol. (9 August 2013) doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1301057