- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- dads today articles
- dads today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Daddy's Genes
The Invisible Inheritance
By Johnathon Allen
. "Most of the time the two are equally active, but imprinted genes carry a biochemical label indicating their parental origin, and determining whether or not they are active inside the cells of the child. Some imprinted genes work only if they come from the father, and others operate only when they originate from the mother. Though fewer than 20 imprinted genes have been found, conservative estimates suggest there are over 100."
It's still difficult to say which genes are imprinted by which parent and why, but researchers are finding genetic connections, in particular, between fathers and daughters. For example, last year scientists at the University of Alabama found that a father's weight is the best predictor of weight gain in young girls (ages 5 through 9 years).
"We looked at 47 girls over a period of 2 1/2 years. Each had a normal weight when the study began," says Dr. Reinaldo Colon, a University of Alabama researcher in Tuscaloosa, Ala. "Twelve of the subjects became overweight over the course of the study. The only thing that persisted in predicting whether the girls would gain weight was the fat ratio of the father."
A London-based team of behavioral geneticists discovered a link between a girl's intuition and her father's genetic contribution. Researchers analyzed girls who had a rare genetic condition -- only a single X chromosome from either parent -- and found that girls whose single X chromosome came from their dads consistently tested higher in intuitive skills than girls whose X chromosome came from their mothers.
Scientists have also learned that parents pass on a genetic predisposition for certain diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. Some of these diseases, which distinctly afflict males, are likely to be passed between father and son.
For example, according to Hall, father and son testicular cancer patients are a significant example because "sons are 6 to 10 times more likely to develop a testicular tumor if their fathers were also diagnosed with the disease, which suggests a genetic component."
