Paternal age at birth and metabolic risk factors in adolescents: a nationwide survey

Objective: The aim of the study is to examine associations between paternal age at childbirth and offspring cardiovascular risk factors in adolescence. Study design: This is a cross-sectional study. Methods: Data from the 2007–2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used. A total of 4,096 adolescents were included in the final analysis, and their information on blood pressure, fasting glucose level, and lipid profile was collected. Multiple linear regression models were applied to evaluate the effect of paternal age on cardiovascular risk factors with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: The median age of participants was 13 years, and 53.2% were male. Maternal and paternal ages were closely correlated with each other, and older parents had older offspring. Paternal age was positively associated with levels of total cholesterol (p = 0.033) and triglycerides (p = 0.042) after adjusting for confounders. Conclusion: This nationwide study shows that advanced paternal age is associated with a less favorable lipid profile in a dose-dependent manner.