Children of older fathers have greater risk of early death

Men, listen up. No longer can you comfort yourselves with the notion that you can father a child at any time...

Children of older fathers more 'likely to die early':

LONDON: When it comes to fertility and the prospect of having babies, it has always been assumed that men have no biological clock — unlike women, they can father a child late in their life. But a study has dispelled this myth.

Researchers in Europe have found that children are almost twice as likely to die before adulthood if they have a father over the age of 45 years, a key finding they claim is linked to the declining quality of sperm as men age.

Scientists reveal dangers of older fathers

Scientists believe that children of older fathers are more likely to suffer particular congenital defects as well as autism, schizophrenia and epilepsy. The study was the first of its kind of such magnitude in the West, and researchers believe the findings are linked to the declining quality of sperm as men age.

No more waiting and waiting, assuming that at age 43, you can marry a 28-year-old hottie who will bear you many strong sons.

No more cult of perpetual youth (as was so evident in my erstwhile town of Los Angeles).

Western civilization is facing a serious demographic crisis. For the Love of crumbcake, be fruitful and multiply!

My wife and are are half-guilty of this ourselves. We met in our late 30s, and we've managed one child. Unfortunately, certain circumstances have made it so that we can't have any more. This means we failed in our responsibility to replace ourselves.

Don't make our mistake. Make babies now!

Then I should be OK. My parents were 21 when I was born.

I’ve never been sick (aside from the usual colds and occassional muscle aches) a day in my life. Never spent a night in a hospital.

See what plenty of bacon, grilled red meat, cheese, butter, the occassional vegetable and some fruit and good wine will do for you.

Though the study methodology may be flawed as most of these things are. It does make sense. Fertility does decline and chances for miscarriage and congenital defects increase with age. Genetic damage does occur. I can hear the reverberations of this study now suggesting that there may even be an imperative why older males are attracted to younger females outside of the obvious things like full bosoms and limber bodies. The men are just seeking better genetic potential given their genetic disadvantage. I suggest that the researchers should do themselves a favor and apply for a grant to study old men who chase young fertile women.lol

This is a stupid study. The conclusion is based on the assumption that the kind of men who marry women of child-bearing age when they are older are otherwise the same than the men who marry young, or older men who marry women past child-bearing years.

The study would have to be filtered for behavioral issues. Was the guy a “swinger” (more STDs) or did he marry a younger woman after a first marriage?

Since suicide is one of the top causes of adolescent death (followed by drunk driving and accidental drug OD), it wouldn’t take much of a self-centered behavior difference that could account for a “doubling” of deaths. (Was the man in question an over-achiever who demanded perfection, or simply a workaholic who wasn’t around? In either case, the deficiencies have nothing to do with biology, but behaviour.

I don’t believe it, but I had a friend once tell me about how Ted Williams sired a son with “old sperm” and then (my friend not Ted) went on a little rant about it.

Curiously the son of Teddy(’s bad sperm) (who wanted to freeze Ted Williams body parts and preserve them in in outer space) died shortly after that conversation.

My best friend in high school was the oldest of four kids. When the youngest graduated, darn if the parents didn’t start up the baby factory and have three more. Mom and Dad were 50 when they finally packed it in. My friend has siblings considerably younger than some of his own kids.

I don’t recommend this approach, but there doesn’t seem to be any great difference between the two batches of kids.

Of course they started really young.

Xer Ping

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