Can bad lifestyle damange your DNA?

[mmouse]

This seems like a simple question but I have no idea where to look for an answer.

As a male, can anything you do increase the chance of genetic abnormalities in your offspring? Can bad diet, smoking, drinking, overwork, drugs affect the DNA in your sperm?

I was reading about the baby Kaylee case (girl with a life threatening genetic condition). Her father also has a genetic heart problem. Assuming he came from England, and considering the conditions in 19th century England - appalling diet and sanitation - got me thinking about whether all those immigrants back then brought a crop of health problems for our future.

 

[Mencken]

Short answer is no, although qualified. Mutagens affect the mother more sensitively than man.

This is true. Normal genetically transmitted diseases have nothing to do with your environment. You cannot inherit "aquired" characteristics. Mutations happen randomly for the most part, although things in our environment (mostly natural things) can increase the rate of mutations (i.e. mutagenic agents, substances). "Appaling diet and sanitation" are very unlikely candidates. If anything they might reduce survivability, hence reduce the load of unfavorable mutation (those with relatively mild problems would not survive long enough to reproduce).

 

[big.guy_13]

I'm going to say maybe.

 

[Aardvark154]

As a male, can anything you do increase the chance of genetic abnormalities in your offspring? Can bad diet, smoking, drinking, overwork, drugs affect the DNA in your sperm?.

Several different interrelated questions MMouse.

Can various enviromental factors effect your gametes - yes to greater and lesser degrees - However, in all cases they must have the ability to negatively affect DNA replication.

Can various enviromental factors effect your own epigenetics (changes in the expression of genes) Absolutely.

Generally you are much more affected by maternal health than you are some of these paternal factors.

 

[Mister K]

Exposure to radiation and certain drugs and hormones can/will affect the DNA regardless of mother or father.

Unfortunately there haven't been enough long term studies done on humans to nail down all the environmental factors that can affect DNA.

 

[ramodaha]

You have no control over your DNA unless you go into a lab and splice genes or something. However your genes can give you a genetic predisposition to a disease which based on the person's lifestyle may or may not present itself.

 

[dance]

Aardvark, glad you mentioned epigenetics, as the field of epigenetics is finding fascinating things. One study showed that times of feast or famine affected the lifespan of future generations (the grandchildren), for instance, in small Norweigan farming communities. Leaders in the field of Autism are now thinking more and more about epigenetics. I think we currently greatly underestimate the influence of enviornment on genes, or their expression more accurately, and there is a lot to be uncovered in the future that may cause us to think radically differently about our choices if we care about our offspring.

 

[seth gecko]

This seems like a simple question but I have no idea where to look for an answer.

As a male, can anything you do increase the chance of genetic abnormalities in your offspring............

I suspect marrying your sister or 1st cousin could do it
(relax everyone, its a joke!)

 

[Never Compromised]

Cancer is sometimes caused by a dna mutation. Various lifestyle choices have been known to affect cancer. Draw your own conclusion.

 

[Ceiling Cat]

One researcher claims that he can detect DNA changes in people that are depressed for a few months. I do think that there can be DNA changes due to enviorment. I have notice that recreational drug users often have unhealthy offspring that have health and phycological problems.

Is it breeding, DNA, enviorment? Yes, ........................it is all that.

 

[OddSox]

Second-hand smoke.

 

[Aardvark154]

Aardvark, glad you mentioned epigenetics, as the field of epigenetics is finding fascinating things. One study showed that times of feast or famine affected the lifespan of future generations (the grandchildren), for instance, in small Norweigan farming communities.

The same thing for in utero children of the Dutch "Hunger Winter" of 1944-1945 and for their children.

 

[Mencken]

The big controversy over inheritance of aquired characteristics was 100 years ago more or less, and with modern understanding of genetics it was discarded, except in the former USSR where it became "official" science under the Soviet academy of science.

Gene expression is a totally different thing, but not unrelated in outcome in some respects. There may be some "genetic control" of genes themselves. That is what I think some of the posts above refer to. Or the other explanation is selection of gametes gets influenced by some external factor, causing a multi generational change in probabilty for certain characteristics.

Otherwise there is no known mechanism for environmental damage in the 1700's to cause problems with subsequent generations. Other than, perhaps, to select for individuals more likely to survive those conditions (if the original conditions actually affected children severely enough to cause some to die before bearing children)

 

[Aardvark154]

Otherwise there is no known mechanism for environmental damage in the 1700's to cause problems with subsequent generations. Other than, perhaps, to select for individuals more likely to survive those conditions (if the original conditions actually affected children severely enough to cause some to die before bearing children)

I'm not the best one to explain it but these alterations are not changes in the genetic code, but rather the settings of the code - whether a gene is on or off. From seminars I've taken even identical twins can by the time they are in their 50's be almost completely different epigenetically. So yes, to a certain extent it seems that Lamarckism, does hold water.

The results of the Norwiegen and Dutch Studies have been published in peer reviewed journals.

Here is a link (in English) to an article on the University of Leiden's website. http://www.news.leiden.edu/news/dutch-hunger-winter.html

And From The Scientist :
https://notes.utk.edu/bio/greenberg.nsf/0/b360905554fdb7d985256ec5006a7755?OpenDocument