The later the longer the paternity of a child's life
Medical News. Age of father of the child directly determines the life expectancy of its offspring, such a conclusion was made by scientists from the United States.
Scientists known fact the relationship between telomere length and lifespan. Called telomeres end parts of chromosomes, they do not have the ability to connect to other chromosomes or their fragments. The functions of telomeres include the storage of genetic information and the protection of chromosomes from damage.
Telomere length depends on the duration of human life: short telomeres indicate a short life. The length of telomeres with age, the cells decreases, and eventually the cells become unable to divide.
But sperm is the opposite: the age of their telomeres lengthened. Long telomeres sperm, preserving genetic information passed to the next generation.
On the example of a group of young people living in the Philippines, researchers have studied the mechanism of transfer of telomeres inherited. The study was conducted by a team of scientists from the Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University in Illinois, led by Dr. Dan Eisenberg.
The results showed that older fathers were tested at the time of their birth, the greater the length of the telomeres had these children. The length of telomeres further increased if the child's grandfather on the paternal side the father of a later age.
Stained human chromosomes (blue) and their telomeres (yellow).
Despite the fact that the risk of preterm birth is increased in the later fatherhood, scientists still believe that this approach is beneficial to the health of future generations.
Professor Thomas von Zglinitski, an expert on aging of cells in the University of Newcastle said: "The longer the paternal ancestors of delaying childbearing, the greater the length of telomeres, transmitted to posterity. This makes it possible to increase the average life expectancy in the population as its members can live longer, to give the offspring later in life. "
For the digestive tract, immune system and skin (which is updated and the rapid growth of cells), the principle of inheritance of telomere length will be particularly important.
The researchers note that more research is necessary.
The results were published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to the materials of the foreign press
