We all know that pregnant mothers-to-be shouldn’t smoke because of the negative health effects it has on the unborn. But what about expectant dads?

A study conducted in Europe released results published in the online journal FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology), that traces damage to the DNA of newborn infants to the sperm of fathers who smoked during conception.

The study, a collaboration of international researchers led by a team at the University of Bradford (UK) and funded by the European Union Integrated Project NewGeneris, suggests that fathers who smoke regularly before conception may also damage their children at a genetic level, but stops short of proving this or demonstrating how paternal smoking may affect the health of the infant.

The implications of the study are fairly clear–men, as well as women, should stop smoking before conceiving, and researchers suggest since sperm cells take about three months to become fertile, the best time to quit would be three months before trying to conceive.

To read a complete assessment of this study, please click here.