Obesity-related DNA methylation at imprinted genes in human sperm: Results from the TIEGER study

Clinical Epigenetics

Table 1 Socio-demographic data of male volunteers

TIEGER participants		Normal weight n = 46		Overweight or obese n = 23
TIEGER participants		n	%	n	%
Age	18–24 years	25	54.3	3	13.0
	25–29 years	12	26.1	7	30.4
	30–35 years	9	19.6	13	56.5
	p value	0.001
Highest degree of education	High school	6	13.3	1	4.3
	Some college or college degree	27	60.0	15	65.2
	Graduate	12	26.7	7	30.4
	p value	0.59
Marital status	Single	31	68.9	5	21.7
	Married/living with partner	14	31.1	17	73.9
	Divorced/widow	0	0	1	4.3
	p value	0.0003
Having children^a	No	41	89.1	19	82.6
	Yes	5	10.9	4	17.4
	p value	0.47
Watching TV (inactive/seated)	Less than 4 h per week	17	37.0	4	17.4
	4 h or more per week	29	63.0	19	82.6
	p value	0.16
Exercise (heavy/sweating)	Less than 2 h per week	16	34.8	11	47.8
	2 h or more per week	30	65.2	12	52.2
	p value	0.29
Sperm concentration	<1.5 × 10⁷	3	7.0	1	4.3
	≥1.5 × 10⁷	40	93.0	22	95.7
	p value	0.67
Sperm total motility count	≤3.9 × 10⁷	8	18.6	4	17.4
	>3.9 × 10⁷	35	81.4	19	82.6
	p value	0.90
Sperm motility	<40 %	6	14.0	7	30.4
	≥40 %	37	86.0	16	69.6
	p value	0.11
Patient at Fertility clinic	No	40	87.0	9	39.1
	Yes	6	13.0	14	60.9
	p value	<0.001

If the sum was not 46 (normal BMI) or 23 (overweight/obese), respectively, data were missing and percentage was calculated on known data. Chi-square test was applied, except if n ≤ 5, in this case Fisher exact test is used
^aHaving children: only one was conceived through ART; this was in the category of men with normal weight

ISSN: 1868-7083