Table of contents:
- Why do the father's age and diet affect whether the baby is born with defects?
- Father's age causes changes in genes
- Father's diet also triggers DNA changes
It turns out that it is not only women who are at risk of conceiving a deformed baby at the age of over 35 years. Men who are over 40 years old also have the same risk. A study found that in fathers who are over 40 years old who plan to have children, there is a risk that the child is born with defects. Not only that, the father's food intake and lifestyle can cause disruption in fetal growth and development.
Why do the father's age and diet affect whether the baby is born with defects?
Basically, what most influences fetal growth and development is the mother's diet and lifestyle. However, it turns out that fathers who have a habit of drinking alcohol, have an unhealthy lifestyle, and do not eat healthy foods have an impact on the child's growth and development process. A child can experience fetal alcohol spectrum disorder although the mother has no history of consuming alcohol at all. This can be caused by his father's habit of consuming alcohol. In accordance with these assumptions, based on research conducted by Georgetown University Medical Center , it is known that 75% of children who experience it fetal alcohol spectrum disorder have an alcoholic father and this affects the child's development in the future.
In addition, other findings found by experts in the study were:
- The old age of the father is associated with an increased incidence of schizophrenia, autism, and disabilities at birth in children.
- The consumption of unhealthy foods by the father even since he was a teenager will affect fetal development and increase the incidence of heart disease in children and grandchildren.
- Obese fathers cause metabolic changes in their bodies which then risk genetic changes in their child's genes, which can lead to cancer.
- The stress that is often experienced by fathers is associated with psychosocial disorders in their future children.
- The father's habit of drinking alcohol affects the child's birth weight which in turn can cause a decrease in the child's cognitive abilities.
Father's age causes changes in genes
There are very few studies examining the lifestyle of fathers with fetal growth and development. Therefore, it is not clear what the connection is. However, experts think that this is related to changes in genes from the father caused by a bad lifestyle that is then passed on to the child. This theory is referred to as epigenetics, namely changes that occur in human DNA which are caused by various factors, one of which is environmental factors, which can be passed on to future generations.
Fathers who are over 40 years of age are more likely to produce sperm of poor quality, and this is considered a risk factor for disability in children. Not only disabilities, several studies also mention that the father's age can cause miscarriage, autism, schizophrenia, Down's syndrome, abnormal musculosketetal system, to defects in the heart organ. In addition to the quality of sperm which may not be good, researchers say that genetic changes are one of the factors in this incident.
Father's diet also triggers DNA changes
Then what about the diet and life of the father that affects the health of the fetus? Same as the previous hypothesis which states that DNA changes play a role in this. Poor diet and stress conditions that are often experienced by fathers, will change the father's DNA which is then passed on to the next generation. Research conducted on mice also stated that the father of rats who experienced stress had mice who experienced mental disorders and higher levels of stress.
Frequent alcohol consumption and smoking can also affect the DNA in the father's sperm. The study, conducted on mice, found that fathers of rats who were frequently given alcohol had mice with low birth weight and cognitive impairments that were seen when the cubs were placed in a small maze.
Limited scientific evidence renders this connection unclear and further research is needed in this regard. But there is nothing wrong if you adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle, avoid smoking, don't drink alcohol, and do regular exercise. Not only beneficial for your health but also beneficial for the health of your family and children and grandchildren.