A groundbreaking British study led by University of Bristol epidemiologist Jean Golding reveals that men who start smoking before puberty could influence their great-granddaughters' risk of excess body fat in adulthood. The researchers candidly note limitations in their findings.
Starting smoking very early in life may have profound, lasting impacts on descendants across multiple generations. This insight comes from research published in Scientific Reports on January 21, 2022. Golding's team analyzed data showing that men who smoked prepubescently had great-granddaughters more prone to higher adult body fat levels, even if intervening generations avoided early smoking.
The investigation builds on Golding's 2014 analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC, or "Children of the 90s"). That earlier work found sons of fathers who smoked before age 11 had elevated adolescent BMI, body fat, and waist circumference.
This latest analysis extends those findings, suggesting effects spanning from grandfathers to granddaughters and great-grandfathers to great-granddaughters—potentially four generations. Notably, these persist regardless of intermediate generations' smoking habits before age 13.
The study highlights a rare human example of transgenerational effects beyond genetics, drawing parallels to animal research on inherited environmental exposures. Such insights could transform our understanding of intergenerational health transmission.
Golding's team emphasizes key limitations, including incomplete data on ancestors' childhoods and lifestyles. More robust studies are essential to validate this potentially landmark discovery.
