Health
Sperm donor with hidden cancer gene fathers nearly 200 kids, families blindsided
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A sperm donor whose samples helped conceive nearly 200 children across Europe unknowingly carried a cancer-causing genetic mutation — a hidden risk now tied to multiple childhood illnesses and early deaths.
An investigation led by the BBC and many other public service broadcasters revealed that the donations were made to Denmark’s European Sperm Bank (ESB). Those donations were then used by 67 fertility clinics in 14 countries over a 17-year span.
The donor, who was not identified, was paid to donate as a student beginning in 2005, according to the report.
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Although the donor passed the initial health screenings, he had hidden genetic mutations that damaged the TP53 gene, which helps to prevent cancer by repairing DNA damage or trigger the death of cancer cells.
When TP53 is mutated, those protective functions are lost, which can lead to uncontrolled cell division, accumulation of mutations and tumor growth, research has shown.
A sperm donor whose samples helped conceive nearly 200 children across Europe (not pictured) unknowingly carried a cancer-causing genetic mutation — a hidden risk now tied to multiple childhood illnesses and early deaths. (Getty Images)
Up to 20% of the man’s sperm would contain that mutated gene, and any children conceived from that affected sperm would have the mutation in every cell of their body, the BBC report stated.
As a result, these children would have a 90% risk of developing some type of cancer in their lifetime, including breast cancer, bone cancers, brain tumors and leukemia. This heightened risk is known as Li Fraumeni syndrome.
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Doctors raised these concerns at the annual congress of the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG), which was held in Milan in May 2025.
At that conference, Edwige Kasper — a specialist in cancer genetics at Rouen University Hospital in France — presented the case of the sperm donor whose genetic material carried the harmful variant.
“This is the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease. Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
It was reported that 23 children had been confirmed to have the variant at that time, 10 of which had already been diagnosed with cancer.
The actual number is likely much higher, the report surmised, as at least 197 children were born from the donated sperm — but not all data has been collected.
Kasper called for a limit on the number of births or families for a single donor in Europe.
“We can’t do whole-genome sequencing for all sperm donors — I’m not arguing for that,” she said. “But this is the abnormal dissemination of genetic disease. Not every man has 75 children across Europe.”
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She also recommended that children born from this donor’s sperm undergo genetic counseling.
“We have some children that have already developed two different cancers, and some of them have already died at a very early age,” Kasper recently told the investigators.
Up to 20% of the man’s sperm would contain that mutated gene, and any children conceived from that affected sperm would have the mutation in every cell of their body, the BBC report stated. (iStock)
There is no worldwide law that limits how many times a donor’s sperm can be used or how many children may be born from a single donor, according to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
However, individual countries may have their own rules or guidelines surrounding sperm donor usage. The ESHRE recently proposed a cap of 50 families per donor as an international limit.
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Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, commented on these developments to Fox News Digital.
“This awful story emphasizes the growing need for up-to-date genetic screening for all donors,” he said. “It also provides context for the idea that knowing the donor provides an advantage.”
“This awful story emphasizes the growing need for up-to-date genetic screening for all donors,” Dr. Marc Siegel said. (iStock)
“Genetic screening, including for oncogenes (genes that have the potential to cause cancer) is improving dramatically, and all use of sperm donations must include it,” Siegel went on.
He also called for AI to be used to improve and speed up the process.
“When a propensity for disease is suspected, the sperm must be discarded,” the doctor added.
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In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the European Sperm Bank expressed “deepest sympathy” for the families involved.
“We are deeply affected by the case and the impact that the rare TP53 mutation has on a number of families, children and the donor. They have our deepest sympathy,” the ESP said.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine provided its guidance on embryo and gamete donation, which stated in part that all prospective donors should undergo “appropriate genetic evaluation.” (iStock)
“ESB tests and performs an individual medical assessment of all donors in full compliance with recognized and scientific practice and legislation.”
In the case of this particular sperm donor with the TP53 mutation, the ESB noted that it occurs only in a small part of the donor’s sperm cells and not in the rest of the body.
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“In such cases, the donor himself and his family members are not ill, and a mutation of this type is not detected preventively by genetic screening,” the agency said.
When the ESB later confirmed the mutation in 2023, the donor was “immediately blocked” and authorities and clinics were notified.
“Donors should be healthy and have no history to suggest hereditary disease.”
“The clinics are responsible for informing the patients, partly because we as a sperm bank do not necessarily know the patients, and because the patients’ own treating physicians are best equipped to advise them in the specific situation,” the agency stated.
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When contacted by Fox News Digital, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) provided its guidance on embryo and gamete donation, which stated in part that all prospective donors should undergo “appropriate genetic evaluation.”
“Donors should be healthy and have no history to suggest hereditary disease,” the ASRM continued.
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Parents with concerns are encouraged to contact both their treating clinic and the relevant fertility authority in that country.
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
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The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
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“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
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“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
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Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
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For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
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Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
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