Author: Derek Beres / Source: Big Think
- A new study shows that a father’s exercise program influences the genetic expression of their children.
- Male mice that ate a high-fat diet and exercised had healthier children than sedentary males eating a regular diet.
- This could have important consequences for the health of infants moving forward.
Parental influence on their children happens long before they’re even born. We’ve long known how important a mother’s diet is for the health of her baby; we know well the dangers of smoking and drinking. Classical music might not make your child smarter, although music—such as, it turns out, the Village People—does have an effect on fetuses.
While mothers have been under scrutiny for some time, the father’s role has been less studied. For example, most of the blame for infertility falls on women, yet nearly half of all couples unable to reproduce are due to problems with men.
Wexner Medical Center physiology and cell biology researcher Kristin Stanford has now provided another important clue about infant health: exercise. In a study recently published in the journal, Diabetes, she says that men who exercise within a month of conception produce healthier babies.
The study featured two groups of mice. One group was fed a high-fat diet for three weeks; the other, a more balanced diet. Each group was split into two: one group remained sedentary, the other had plenty of exercise. After their children were born, the infant mice were given regular diets, but remained sedentary. The result:
The researchers report that adult offspring from sires who exercised had improved glucose metabolism, decreased body weight…
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