More and more couples are waiting to expand their families until the woman is into her 30s or older. Work, travel and saving money before having a baby are all factors in the decision

A new study suggests that folic acid supplementation given prenatally may protect babies from having colorectal cancer.

A team of researchers from University of Toronto studied female rats, grouped them on control diet and folic acid supplementation diet prior to breeding for three weeks and continued until pregnancy and lactation

Low levels of the nutrient folate in the diet of healthy men has been linked to higher rates of chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm. Folate, also protective against birth defects, is found in leafy green vegetables, fruit and legumes.

The study, by the University of California, Berkeley, is featured in the journal Human Reproduction. Women of childbearing age are encouraged to maintain adequate levels of folate in their diet to have healthy eggs

Scientists said today that men who eat a diet-rich green leafy vegetables, fruits and beans, lentils and chickpeas have a higher chance of fathering a healthy child.

In a study that investigates the effects of diet on the quality of sperm, American scientists found that high levels of vitamin B decreases the number of abnormalities that lead to children being born with defects such as Down's syndrome

Vitamins do not reduce cancer risk and heart disease, but exercise may be able to do what supplements can't. Exercise is proven to achieve the benefits claimed for vitamins, even for people who eat properly, reports the November 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

"Current evidence suggests that exercise may be a crucial weapon in reducing the risk of some cancers," the report claimed. "Studies show that active people are less likely to develop colon cancer than sedentary individuals, and that women who exercise can reduce their breast cancer risk