As per a new research, men who are overweight or obese possess greater tendency to be father of undersized infants.

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Auckland and its findings appeared in the journal Obesity. The researchers looked at data on more than 2,000 Auckland and Adelaide couples, who were participants of the Screening for Pregnancy Endpoints (SCOPE) study.

There had been found association of obese fathers and greater risk of SGA babies, which was also not influenced by maternal factors, as stated by Professor Lesley McCowan, Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University and the lead researcher.

The findings of the study also support the previous studies that brought out that the fathers of SGA babies had also greater likelihood of themselves being born small at their birth. Also, the study strengthens some studies that associated low birth-weight to obesity later in life.

Prof McCowan said, "This suggests that birth size could, in part, be inherited through the paternal germ line. It also provides some support for the theory that low birth-weight is linked to later obesity".

She added that more research was needed to completely understand the connection between weight of parents during their births and later adult obesity and birth of SGA babies.