Good news for dads: Your kid, who keeps you on the run, deprives you of sleep and brings an endless stream of worry is probably also leading you to a healthier, longer life. According to recent studies, dads are less likely to have heart trouble, less likely to smoke or drink and “” on the whole “” suffer less from depression. They also tend to eat healthier, according to the studies.
Dads in the trenches may not feel healthier, though.
Logan Wallace, a 35 year-old dad of two from Mt. Washington, isn’t ready to buy into the studies’ results. A former college soccer player, he’s now a roofing specialist with Kanga Roof, a landlord and tee-shirt entrepreneur when he’s not busy helping raise a son, Burke, 4, and daughter, Josie Rae, 6 months. Wallace, a Xavier grad, also writes about the joys and challenges of fatherhood.
He isn’t active in soccer anymore “” he coached after his playing days “” but keeps active training for triathlons.
“I would be even more active if I wasn’t doing all my daddy duties,” said Wallace, taking a quick break from making dinner for the kids, “so I’m not sure if I agree with the (healthy) dad thing. I actually eat more, due the fact that I don’t like to watch food go to waste and I eat Burke’s leftovers. It’s harder to keep the weight off.”
Then, there’s the stress, which Wallace said can be at times overwhelming even though he and his wife, Christie, try to equally share parenting duties. Though, even when it gets to hair-raising levels, Wallace admits physical activity is his release: “zoning out” while biking or training for his next run.
It’s more for his personal peace of mind, though.
“Good health has always been a strong part of my life. If I feel as though I am not being healthy or am getting out of shape, I honestly do it more for myself and the challenge of getting back into shape,” he said. “I don’t honestly think it’s because I’m a dad, though I do expect to be here for a long time for the kids.”
Whether it’s for the kids or not, those studies do point to some healthier numbers for dads for the most part, though.
Better off Dad
One study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, tracked nearly 138,000 men ages 50-71, and noted that fathers were 17 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than their childless counterparts.
Another study, conducted by researchers at Oregon State University, suggested dads were also less likely to participate in at-risk behaviors like smoking, drinking and marijuana use. (They were also less likely to commit crimes.)
Researchers chalked it up to “putting away the bad-boy image” when a child arrives on the scene. They also noted that dads had lower testosterone levels, which may keep them closer to home and the kids.
The Journal of Family Issues chimed in with its own study that showed fewer depressive symptoms among fathers, owing mainly to bonds they forge with their children.
Eating healthier?
Like Wallace, some dads find that fatherhood might make it harder to keep the pounds off, however. A recent Texas A&M study that focused on 312 families found that dads who opt for the convenience of fast food to feed their children are more likely to be heavier. Though most of the fathers in the study said they often think about nutrition when it comes to feeding their children, busy schedules and the path of least resistance usually wins out.
