Father's stress may contribute to obesity.

(From Bristol Evening Post)

People who suffer with obesity or heart problems may be ill because their fathers had a stressful childhood, Bristol researchers say.

Experts at Bristol University think that some of men's childhood experiences are affecting the genes they pass on to their descendants.

The theory is the latest to come from the Children of the 90s study at the university and challenges accepted thinking on genetic inheritance, suggesting that historic events can contribute to some common modern illnesses.

Conventionally, scientists believe that how we develop as adults depends on the genes (DNA) we inherit and environmental …