How father’s sperm passes trauma, poor diet to children

“The object of all health education is to change the conduct of individual men, women, and children by teaching them to care for their bodies well, and this instruction should be given throughout the entire period of their educational life.” — Charlie H.

SCIENTISTS have shown how a father's poor diet, lifestyle and trauma is passed onto his children.

Sperm carries 'epigenetic' marks that inform how the baby's germ cells develop, researchers at University of California (UC) Santa Cruz, United States (U.S.), have shown.

The study, published in Nature Communications, is one of the first to explain how a parent's genetic markers have a direct impact on their children.

It offers some explanation for a study that came out earlier this week, showing the sons of Union Army soldiers had a higher risk of early death if their fathers had been prisoners of war subjected to brutal conditions.

Research on epigenetics - the biological study of genes that switch on and off - has gained steam in the past few decades, but particularly in the last few years.

For a long time, scientists dismissed the idea that sperm could carry epigenetic information to their offspring, partly because it is so hard to identify. There are no genetic mutations, rather some genes are prevented from expressing themselves fully.

And yet, more and more studies show that a father's behavior can be passed down to his children - be it stress, fear, or a slow metabolism from their dad's poor diet.

However, recent studies on mice and humans have shown that 10 percent of epigenetic information is retained in sperm.

Now, testing roundworms, the lab of Dr. Susan Strome has shown that this epigenetic information in sperm, known as 'histone packaging', directs the formation of the offspring's cells.

The lab focused on an epigenetic marker call H3k27me3, which has been shown to repress gene expression in multiple studies.

Once they removed that marker, the vast majority of the offspring were infertile, showing that the marker was clearer essential for the offspring's development.

Also, men who are classed as infertile could become fathers thanks to a new procedure that gives one in five the chance of conceiving a baby.

Most of the estimated 300,000 British men with extremely low or zero sperm count are told they can’t have biological children, because they either don’t produce enough sperm or there is a blockage in one of the tubes along which the sperm travels.

The new technique, being offered at five specialist National Health Service (NHS) hospitals across the country, involves surgically removing a tiny section of the testicle – less than a millimetre wide – dissecting it, and then retrieving individual sperm cells ‘stuck’ inside.

Crucial to the success of the new procedure, called MICROTESE, is a specialised microscope that magnifies the tubes inside the testicles by 20 times, helping the sur- geon to find the sperm.

Dr. Channa Jayasena, consultant in reproductive endocrinology at Imperial College London, who performs the procedure, says: “Many of these men have been told they can’t have children, but this procedure sees between 10-30 per cent of them have a baby. It is amazing.”

Also, scientists have created self-lubricating condoms to help stop the spread of nasty infections.

They are covered in a special, durable coating designed to last however long your passionate romp does.

Sex without enough lube can be painful and increases the risk of condoms slipping off or breaking. When used correctly condoms are a highly effective form of contraception, but not everyone enjoys wearing them.

Many people opt for other ways to prevent pregnancy, like the Pill, but that doesn't protect from nasty sexually transmitted infections (STI).

Most condoms are lubricated to make them easier to use, but often it is not enough.

That is why scientists at Boston University, United States (U.S.), backed by the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, have created self-lubricating ones.

They hope the new condoms will encourage more people to wrap it up before getting down and dirty, and reduce the spread of STIS, according to the BBC.

The condoms become really slippery when they come into contact with bodily fluids and can withstand at least 1,000 thrusts without losing any of it's lubrication, accord- ing the to study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.

Having sex typically lasts half that time, the researchers say.

In comparison, regular condoms with water-based lube became less slippery after 600 thrusts.

A group of 33 volunteers were asked to compare the condoms, with most saying they prefer the self-lubricating ones.