Lifestyle-related mutations ‘can be passed down by fathers’

A new study has shed light on the heavy risk of lifestyle-associated gene mutations being passed down by fathers to multiple generations of offspring.

The research, which was published in the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, followed two groups of families from different backgrounds and with varied living standards.

It was found that moderate paternal exposures, such as cigarette smoking, can increase the number of mutations transmitted to their children, even when these mutations occurred before conception.

Moreover, these variations in the germ-line were present in all of the children's cells, including their own germ cells, suggesting that fathers' lifestyle choices can affect the health of their offspring over several generations.

Dr Roger Godschalk, a researcher involved in the work from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, said: "We hope that our findings support the initiation of new, more elaborate studies that investigate the role of daily life exposures on germ-line mutations transmitted to offspring."

Mothers are already heavily advised to avoid habits such as drinking and smoking during pregnancy, with this study suggesting that a similar principle may apply to fathers.