Diabetes risk for children of stressed dads

MEN who are stressed could pass on an increased risk of diabetes to their children, a study has found.

Stress hormones cause a change in sperm that gives offspring high blood sugar, according to researchers.

But they said changes could be prevented by blocking the father’s stress hormones.

The study, published in journal Cell Metabolism, involved male mice – but scientists said that the findings could apply to humans as well.

The mice were kept in tubes for two hours a day for two weeks to induce stress.

Afterwards, the animals’ glucose levels were normal, but the mice gained weight more slowly and had increased levels of stress hormones called glucocorticoids in their blood.

These mice were then mated with unstressed females and their resulting offspring had higher blood glucose than normal. Professor Xiaoying Li, of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, said: ‘We are very interested in how behavioural change affects glucose homeostasis.

‘Epidemiological studies have demonstrated the association of psychological stress with incident diabetes.

‘We are curious about whether the effect can be passed down through generations.’

She said that by understanding the mechanisms involved, researchers could block the effects of glucocorticoids on the sperm.