## Age is not a negligible factor from an epigenome perspective

The study from 2018, based on more than 40 million births, aimed to find out whether there is a correlation between the age of the father and the health of his children. Women are born with fully developed eggs (they are formed during intrauterine development and mature gradually throughout life), while men's sperm are produced only from puberty and then throughout life. This poses the risk that diet, toxins, lifestyle, stress, and eventually male aging will be inscribed in the epigenome of the developing sperm. It was assumed that the father's role in fathering the offspring was paramount, but it turns out that the father also has an impact on the course of the pregnancy. Men's age turned out to be not negligible in this aspect. The health status of the offspring of 25-34-year-old fathers and fathers aged 45 and older was compared. Older age in fathers was associated with up to a 14% increased risk of preterm birth and was also associated with up to a 28% increased probability of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. The children of older fathers also have a higher risk of developing schizophrenia and autism. In the case of schizophrenia, the odds are 1:144 for fathers younger than 25, 1:99 for fathers between 30 and 35, and 1:47 for fathers older than 50. Of course, responsible mutations in DNA are known and these mutations arise in the germ line of sex cells. However, new research suggests that the development of this disease is also related to an altered DNA methylation pattern that developed during the father's lifetime.