Fatherhood damages the heart, study reveals

NEW YORK (HealthDay News)—The old joke is that fatherhood causes men to go gray prematurely.

Whether it’s true or not, becoming a father appears to put men at greater risk for poor heart health later in life, according to a new study.

Fathers tended to have worse heart health than childless men, based on factors including diet, exercise, smoking, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, researchers report in the journal “AJPM Focus.”

“The changes in heart health we found suggest that the added responsibility of child care and the stress of the transition to fatherhood may make it more difficult for men to maintain healthy lifestyle choices, such as a healthy diet and exercise,” said John James Parker, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and general internal medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

In the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 2,800 men ages 45 to 84.

Although fathers had worse heart health, the study also found that they actually have lower mortality rates than childless men. This could be because fathers have a better social support system, and social connection has been linked to a lower risk of death, Parker says.

“Parents may also be more likely to have someone as their future caregiver (i.e., their children) to help them attend medical appointments and manage medications and treatments as they get older,” she adds.

“We also found that fathers had lower rates of depressive symptoms than non-fathers, so mental health may contribute to lower age-adjusted mortality rates in fathers,” she notes.

The study found that black men particularly benefited from being fathers, with a lower mortality rate than black non-fathers.

“Fatherhood may be protective for black men,” Parker said. “Perhaps becoming a father helps promote a healthy lifestyle for black men. Further study of this association could have important public health implications.”

On the other hand, men who became fathers at a younger age (age 25 or younger) tended to have poorer heart health and higher mortality rates.

“If you are under 25, you may be less financially stable, your brain may be less mature, and, especially for racial and ethnic minorities, you may have lower-paying jobs with fewer benefits and limited leave policies,” Dr. Parker warns.

“All of this can make it harder to focus on your health. There are a lot of public health interventions for young mothers, but no one has really looked at young fathers in this way.”

The study also found a higher rate of smoking among fathers, contradicting other work that has indicated that many men quit smoking when they have children.

“This study looked at older fathers, so it’s possible that men quit smoking when they become fathers, but later may become more stressed and resume the habit.”

“Either way, we need to look at what is happening with smoking rates, because smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death, and if a parent smokes, it will also influence their families.”