During their pregnancy, women must be extremely cautious and avoid a wide range of things that could potentially harm their child. But now, a new research report from the FASEB Journal says that men must also watch what they do. Those men who smoke before conception can potentially damage the genetic information of their newborn.
Smoking poses a number of risks to infants including cancer and other genetic diseases if the inherited changes in DNA are passed down through the father. Due to the fact that a fertile sperm takes roughly three months to fully develop, men need to quit smoking long before conception to avoid these effects.
To test the effects of smoking on unborn children, scientists conducted a rigorous process during two different times of pregnancy. Around the time of conception, they used DNA biomarkers to obtain the genetic changes in the paternal blood and semen. During delivery they then measured the maternal and umbilical cord blood. The tests, conducted in families from European regions in central England and a Greek Island, revealed that if the right precautions are taken, diseases in infants could possibly be prevented because smoking is a germ cell mutagen.
Although many smokers struggle to quit, prospective dads should use this reason as their way out. Studies show that it is more difficult to quit if others around you are continuing their habit. Photographs also trigger your brain into thinking you need to smoke. The trick of the trade? Place yourself in an environment free of smoking and give your child the gift of living a long, healthy life.
– The Alternative Daily