It’s not just women who need to consider changing their diet when thinking about pregnancy, men need to as well.
Health on Female First
Canadian scientists have discovered the sperm carries a ‘memory’ of the father’s lifestyle, and is transferred to offspring following conception.
It’s been advised that men thinking about starting a family should be avoiding junk food and filling up on green, leafy vegetables.
The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, suggests that lack of folic acid makes subtle changes to the chemistry of the sperm’s DNA.
These then have long-lasting consequences for the development of the unborn baby.
Dr Kimmins told the Mail Online it is too early to advise prospective fathers to take supplements; instead they should eat their greens.
Good sources of folic acid include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, asparagus and peas, as well as liver, chickpeas and brown rice.
Leading Nutritionist Dr Sam Christie explains: “Healthy, full-term babies are partly a result of both parents' nutritional status and this is truly something both parents can control. Modern-day nutrition scientists now understand that even some unwanted genetic traits, such as diseases or tendencies inherited from parents, may not be fully expressed in the baby if the genes are 'bathed' in sufficient vitamins and minerals such as omega 3 fatty acids.
“Scientists know that the UK diet is far from ideal when it comes to vitamins and minerals and although overt deficiencies are rare, vitamin and mineral insufficiencies - where the body is somewhat 'overdrawn' - are common in adults. The worst offenders in terms of insufficiency for adults are Vitamin D, Vitamin K, iron, magnesium, copper, Vitamin A, zinc and iodine.
“Being 'overdrawn' in some nutrients, often without any outwardly visible signs or symptoms, is best corrected before conception with a supplement such as StrongStart (www.naturesbest.co.uk) combined with common-sense food and drink and enjoyable mealtimes. For example, emerging evidence suggests that being low in the trace mineral selenium may give rise to a higher miscarriage risk, whilst low levels of folic acid are known to cause neural tube defects (serious spinal and palate defects) in babies.”
Alcohol also interferes with the vitamin. Dr Kimmins said: "Young lads out bar hopping need to consider that all that alcohol isn’t going to be good for their future children.
"Our research suggests that fathers need to think about what they put in their mouths, what they smoke and what they drink and remember they are caretakers of generations to come."
Tagged in Health Nutrition Diet Mens Health children's health