A new research has explained how fatherhood affects health of young men. Young fathers have to deal with new responsibilities and they may not get enough time to look after their own health because of getting less time to follow daily exercises, said lead author Dr. Craig Garfield, associate professor of pediatrics and of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and attending pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Becoming a father was linked to a higher BMI-a roughly 4-lb for a 6-foot-tall man during the study period. The BMI rise for the fathers in the study was in contrast to a lower BMI-a 1.4-lb. weight loss in the same-sized men who were childless over the same time period.

The new research has showed that weight gain is seen in men after they become fathers. The study has debunked the belief that it's only women who gain weight after delivering a baby, as first-time fathers too gain weight after a new addition arrives in the family.

One of the reasons behind this is the perception among first-time fathers that they are too young to seek help from doctors and their health is absolutely fine.

"This is an opportunity to talk about things that are important for dad's health and the child's health and to offer dads nutritional counseling and mental health education", said Garfield.

Weight gain is linked to risk of diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.