In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Charles Easley IV discuss the significance of a father’s lifestyle before conception and its effects on prenatal development. This comes about not by mutations in the sperm DNA, but through heritable changes in the way the father’s genes are turned on and off during the development of the fetus. THese changes are referred to as epigenetic. So it’s not just about the mom, They thus explore the paternal origins of health and disease, highlight animal studies and human cohort studies that demonstrate intergenerational transmission of epigenetic changes, and discuss the dangers of toxic chemical exposure on male sperm.

Key Takeaways:

• To study the paternal effects on the fetus, we are able to do animal studies in the lab, however, for human studies, we can only study in cohorts after the fact, such as with the Dutch Famine, Michigan PBB, or, lately, the effects of COVID-19.

• Gary Miller is one of the leaders studying how paternal exposure prior to conception can have profound effects on the lifespan and healthy aging of future offspring.

• While we cannot pinpoint all the chemicals as having a lasting effect yet, it is important to try to be as healthy as you can. Certain chemicals, such as BPA and certain pesticides, have been studied to have an effect. And not just the mother during pregnancy.

"We've got a lot more evidence to suggest that what the father does prior to conception can have a profound effect on the genes that are expressed during development, and can have profound effects on how these organs develop in the offspring." — Dr. Charles Easley IV

Episode References:

• The Dutch Famine Birth Cohort: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7934722/

• The Michigan PBB Cohort: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/3929/cdc_3929_DS1.pdf

• The Poisoning of Michigan by Joyce Egginton: https://www.amazon.com/Poisoning-Michigan-Joyce-Egginton/dp/0870138677

Connect with Dr. Charles Easley IV:

Professional Bio: https://publichealth.uga.edu/faculty-member/charles-a-easley/

Website: https://www.easleylab.com/

Email: cae25@uga.edu

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Threads: @critically_speaking

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

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