Smoking of dads before conception can damage genetic information of their offspring

As you decide what to get dad for Father’s Day, you might want to think about what he gave you when you were conceived. If he smoked, your genes are likely damaged, and your odds for cancers and other diseases throughout your life could be increased. A new research report appearing on-line in the FASEB Journal, scientists show for the first time in humans that men who smoke before conception can damage the genetic information of their offspring. These inherited changes in DNA could possibly render an offspring in the womb susceptible to later disease such as cancer. This provides evidence showing why men should be urged to stop smoking before trying to conceive in the same way women have been urged to quit. Interestingly, a fertile sperm cell takes about three months to fully develop; therefore men would ultimately need to quit smoking long before conception to avoid causing genetic problems.

“That smoking of dads at the time around conception can lead to genetic changes in their kids indicates that the deleterious effects of smoking can be transmitted through the dad to the offspring,” stated Diana Anderson, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Bradford, in the United Kingdom. “These transmitted genetic changes may raise the risk of developing cancer in childhood, particularly leukemia and other genetic diseases. We hope that this knowledge will urge men to cease smoking before trying to conceive.”

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Submited at Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 at 6:00 pm on Uncategorized by sofia
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