Tags: dad | stress | diabetes | kid | genetic

Dad's Stress Can Increase Kids' Diabetes Risk, Experts Say

Dad's Stress Can Increase Kids' Diabetes Risk, Experts Say
(Copyright DPC)

By    |   Tuesday, 23 February 2016 04:08 PM EST

Stressed-out dads are more likely to have children with high blood sugar than their cool-headed counterparts, according to new research that echoes past studies linking stress and diabetes.

The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, involved mice but has implications for people, too, say researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and Rui-Jin Hospital.

They suggested stress produces an “epigenetic” change in stressed dads’ sperm — a change that they could prevent by blocking the father's stress hormones. The study adds to growing evidence that a male's life experience can be passed down through more than his genetic code alone.

"We are very interested in how behavioral change affects glucose homeostasis," said Xiaoying Li, an endocrinologist who helped conduct the study. "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."

This epigenetic change in stressed fathers showed up in their offspring's livers.

The good news is that by understanding the mechanisms involved, the researchers could block the effects of stress hormones on a father's sperm.

"It is potentially possible for our study to be translated into the treatment of hyperglycemia in human beings in the future," Li said.

© 2025 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.


Diabetes
Stressed-out fathers are more likely to have children with high blood sugar than their cool-headed counterparts, according to new research.
dad, stress, diabetes, kid, genetic
207
2016-08-23
Tuesday, 23 February 2016 04:08 PM
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