Children of older fathers nearly twice as likely to die before adulthood

When we think about the biological clock ticking away, we pretty much immediately think of women. After all, age only matters for the mom -- the father can be as old as he wants and it doesn't make a difference, right?

According to a recent Danish study of over 100,000 children, not exactly. Children in the study who were fathered by men over 45 were much less likely to reach their nineteenth birthday than were the children of men in their late 20s.

The older men's children were especially likely to die from birth defects like heart problems. Another common cause of death was as a result of suicide, accidents, or fights, which could be explained by their higher rates of autism, epilepsy, and schizophrenia.

Another study was done recently with different results. In the U.S., a five-year study found that the children of teenage fathers were the least healthy, and that children fathered by older men were as healthy as those fathered by men in their 20s. British experts think that the role of the "sugar daddy" explains this -- whereas teenage fathers are more likely to father unplanned children and less likely to be able to provide them financially, older fathers are more likely to be able to provide for any needs their child might have, including medical.