Father too Responsible for Offspring’s Diabetes and Obesity: Research

The seminal fluid from father helps in determining whether the child, especially son, will have diabetes and obesity in future, claims a new research at University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute.
 "We know from several studies that obesity in males can be tracked back to the father's contribution at the moment of conception. But now we're starting to understand the very complex signals and information being transmitted by the seminal fluid, and it turns out that seminal fluid and female tissues interact in surprising ways," says Professor Sarah Robertson, research leader and Director of the Robinson Institute at the University of Adelaide.
A mother's health and diet have been known to affect a child's health, but the composition of the seminal fluid, and not only sperms, also plays a vital role. Semen comprises sperms and seminal fluid from prostrate and seminal vesicles. Most of the times, a mother's health conditions are given more priority during conception. But the research revealed that indications from seminal fluid to the reproductive tract of the females affected not only conception but also how a child's health would be later.
To assure a healthy future of a baby, now even father's need to be careful and healthy at the time of conception. "If the seminal fluid is of poor quality, it affects the female's capacity to support an embryo. If the embryo manages to survive despite the poor quality seminal fluid, the metabolism of the resulting foetus will be permanently altered, making it more likely to develop a syndrome of metabolic disorders including obesity, high blood pressure and glucose intolerance after birth," says Professor Robertson.

The research will also chart a new path to work on options for infertile couples and IVF methods.

Source:The results of the research were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.