Poster Presentation 1st Asia Pacific Herbert Fleisch Workshop 2025

Advanced Paternal Age and Offspring Bone Health in Adulthood; Do Associations Reported in Childhood Persist? (#117)

Mia A Percival 1 2 3 , Kun (Kathy) Zhu 4 5 , John P Walsh 4 5 , Julie A Pasco 6 7 8 9 , Kara B Anderson 6 , Natalie K Hyde 2 3 6
  1. Deakin University, Box Hill North, VIC, Australia
  2. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
  3. The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
  4. Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia
  5. Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
  6. Deakin University, Geelong
  7. Barwon Health, Geelong , VIC, 3220, Australia
  8. Department of Medicine-Western Health, The University of Melbourne, St Albans, VIC, 3021, Australia
  9. Department of Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3181, Australia

Aims: There is growing evidence supporting paternal contributions to child health. Previous findings from the Vitamin D In Pregnancy study suggested that advanced paternal age was associated with lower bone measures of offspring at age 11 years. However, whether these associations are evident when peak bone mass is attained remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate associations between paternal age and offspring bone health at age 20 years.

Methods: Data from the Raine study, a multigenerational cohort, were used. Among 1183 offspring with total body DXA (GE Lunar) data at the 20-year follow up, 1142 had information on their father’s age and were included in analysis. Linear regression models were developed to examine associations of outcome of interest (offspring parameter of bone and body composition) and paternal age during pregnancy (16-18 weeks’ gestation), with the final models adjusted for maternal age and offspring sex, gestational age, birthweight, and height, weight and age at DXA assessment. Bone mineral content models were also adjusted for bone area and fat and lean mass models were additionally adjusted for each other.

Results: Fathers’ median age was 31 years (IQR 27-35, range 15-58). In final models, advanced paternal age was not significantly associated with offspring total body bone mineral density (β: -0.00036; 95% CI: -0.0013, 0.00061 g/cm2; p=0.46) or bone mineral content (β: -0.90; 95% CI: -3.60, 1.79 g; p=0.51). Paternal age was also not significantly associated with total body fat mass (β: -0.0042; 95% CI -0.011, 0.028 kg; p=0.24) or lean mass (β: -0.0040; 95% CI -0.011, 0.0028 kg; p=0.25).

Conclusions: Previous inverse associations reported were not detected in this cohort. This may suggest that early life effects are attenuated at peak bone mass. Further research is needed to assess this association in clinically relevant DXA sites such as the hip and spine.