Male smokers pass genetic damage on to their offspring

Obviously, smoking is bad for you, and it's long been proven that second-hand smoke poses a significant health-risk, especially for children who live with a smoker. But a new study suggests that fathers who smoke may be harming their children even before they're born, thanks to the effects cigarettes have on their sperm's DNA.

Essentially, smoking causes mutations in the DNA of sperm. Recent research with mice proves that these mutations are often inherited, and "persist as irreversible changes in the genetic composition of offspring." Subsequently, "fathers can potentially damage offspring long before they may even meet their future mate."

I was a father who always said he'd quit smoking before his child was born (and I did). But now, knowing this, I wish I'd never taken up the habit in the first place.