Early Smoking in Boys Linked to Epigenetic Changes in Future Generations
Researchers from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and the University of Bergen in Norway investigated how smoking begun in early adolescence could influence the genetic makeup of the next generation. Their work appears in the journal Clinical Epigenetics and adds a troubling layer to what early smoking may mean beyond the smoker themselves.
The study looked at epigenetic profiles in 875 individuals ranging from 7 to 50 years old and checked whether their fathers smoked. The team found notable epigenetic differences in people whose fathers smoked for the first time before the age of 15. Such epigenetic marks have been connected to risks like asthma, obesity, and wheeze during breathing, suggesting that paternal smoking in youth could carry health implications well into adulthood for offspring.
One co-author, Dr. Neguss Kitab, explains that stem cells formed during early puberty in boys are key to reproductive function and heredity. This helps explain why epigenetic changes in children of fathers who started smoking early were more pronounced than in children whose fathers began smoking in adulthood. The implication is clear: the timing of smoking initiation may influence inherited biological traits in the next generation.
The findings underscore potential public health consequences that extend beyond the smoker. If early adolescence is a pivotal window for epigenetic programming, lowering smoking initiation in teens could reduce health risks not just for youths but for their future children as well.
Experts emphasize that the study adds to a growing body of evidence about how lifestyle choices can leave marks that pass from one generation to the next. While these findings require further replication and exploration, the message is consistent: safeguarding young people from starting to smoke may have lasting benefits for families and communities.
Notes: Additional observations in related research indicate that lifestyle factors in adolescence, including nicotine exposure, can intersect with other risk behaviors. Ongoing studies continue to examine how epigenetic changes relate to long-term health outcomes across generations. These conclusions align with broader public health goals to reduce tobacco use among youths and to support preventive measures for future generations.
[Attribution: Clinical Epigenetics; research teams from the University of Southampton and the University of Bergen. See original published work for methodological details and full data interpretation.]