Fathers' addiction to alcohol can lead to developmental disorders in their offspring, biologists from Texas A&M University found out. They talked about this in an article in FASEB magazine.
For six weeks, the scientists gave the male mice ethanol to drink and then allowed them to mate with the females. Comparing the offspring of these males and the control group, which received only water, they found a number of violations of embryonic development. In particular, the growth of the fetus during pregnancy was limited, and the placenta increased, compensating for the decrease in the ability to nourish the fetus. More often such violations were observed in male cubs.
The father's lifestyle affects the quality of sperm, the authors of the work explain - it carries not only genetic, but also epigenetic information, and bad habits of the father can lead to developmental disorders in the offspring.
“The birth defects we see in offspring may not be the fault of the mother,” the researchers write. “It could be the fault of the father or both parents equally.”
The entire history of mankind shows that more than just genes are inherited from men, the authors add. They call for a closer look at how men's lifestyles can affect the health of their unborn children.
bbabo.Net