Current research indicates that a sizable number of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases arise from de novo mutations (DNMs) occurring within the paternal germline, usually in an age-dependent manner. Andrologists have reported that somatic cells and gametes share the same pathologies that generate these DNMs—specifically, DNA hypomethylation caused by oxidative nucleoside base damage. Because many ASD researchers seek to identify genetic risk factors, teams are developing methods of assessing aberrant DNA patterns, such as parental gonadal mosaicism. Several studies propose antioxidant supplementation as a strategy to lower autism risk, and/or suggest connections between childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and paternally-derived DNMs. Actual data, however, are currently not available to determine whether male preconception antioxidant supplementation effectively lowers autism risk. The purpose of this paper is to (1) explore the mechanisms causing DNMs, specifically DNA hypomethylation; (2) explain how antioxidant supplementation may lower the risk of having a child with ASD; and, (3) advocate for the implementation of large prospective studies testing (2). These studies may very well find that male preconception supplementation with antioxidants prevents neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, in much the same way that female prenatal consumption of folate was found to decrease the risk of birth defects. If this is indeed the case, the alarming rise in autism prevalence rates of the past few decades will slow—or even cease—upon the initiation of public awareness campaigns.

目前的研究表明，相当多的自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 病例是由父系生殖系内发生的新生突变 (DNM) 引起的，通常以年龄相关的方式发生。男科医生报告说，体细胞和配子具有产生这些 DNM 的相同病理学——特别是由氧化核苷碱基损伤引起的 DNA 低甲基化。由于许多 ASD 研究人员试图确定遗传风险因素，因此团队正在开发评估异常 DNA 模式的方法，例如父母的性腺嵌合体。几项研究建议将抗氧化剂补充剂作为降低自闭症风险的一种策略，和/或表明自闭症等儿童神经发育障碍与父源性 DNM 之间存在联系。但实际数据，目前无法确定男性孕前补充抗氧化剂是否能有效降低自闭症风险。本文的目的是（1）探索引起DNMs的机制，特别是DNA低甲基化；(2) 解释补充抗氧化剂如何降低患 ASD 孩子的风险；(3) 提倡实施大型前瞻性研究测试 (2)。这些研究很可能会发现，男性孕前补充抗氧化剂可以预防后代出现神经发育障碍，这与女性产前摄入叶酸可以降低出生缺陷风险的方式大致相同。如果情况确实如此，那么随着公众意识运动的启动，过去几十年自闭症患病率惊人的上升将放缓甚至停止。