Male's quality of sperm after 43 years of age has declined sharply...Increased accumulation of disease-causing mutations
Oct 21, 2025
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It has been shown that disease-causing gene mutations accumulate in sperm, increasing the likelihood of causing neurodevelopmental disorders or hereditary diseases in children.
A joint research team, including the Welcome Sanger Institute in the UK and King's College London, recently published the paper in the global journal Nature.
The research team analyzed sperm samples from 81 healthy men aged 24 to 75 through high-precision genome analysis technology.
As a result, it was confirmed that mutations accumulated in sperm as they got older, and in particular, a mutant gene called 'Selfish Sperm' proliferates faster than normal cells.
By age group, about 2% of the samples of young people (26-42 years old) had disease-causing mutations, increased to 3% to 5% in middle-aged people (43-74) and about 4.5% in those over 70 years old contained disease-causing mutations.
In addition, the research team said that the average annual rate of accumulation of genetic mutations is 1.67 and that the quality of sperm deteriorates sharply after the age of 43.
The research team explained "Changes in sperm DNA occur in the testicles, which increases the likelihood that an elderly father will pass on harmful genes to his children."
In particular, these mutations are associated with severe neurodevelopmental and genetic diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, Appert syndrome, and Noonan syndrome, and may also increase the risk of hereditary cancer.
However, the researchers found that "not all mutations lead to pregnancy, and some may interfere with the modification itself or cause miscarriage.", emphasizing the need for further research.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
