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Women and girls whose grandfathers or great-grandfathers began smoking at an early age tend to have more body fat, research that taps into the extraordinary 30-year-old Children of the 90s study has found.
In an earlier piece of work it was discovered that if a father started smoking regularly before reaching puberty, then his sons, but not daughters, had more body fat than expected.
Now researchers believe they have pinpointed higher body fat in females with grandfathers or great-grandfathers who began smoking before the age 13. No effects were observed in male descendants.
The research suggests exposure to substances can lead to changes that may be passed through the generations, though the team behind the research concede that much more work is needed to confirm this and understand how it may happen.
They have been able to spot the possible link because of the detail and depth of inter-generational data the University of Bristol study provides and it is an example of findings that the scientists could not have anticipated when it was launched in 1991.
www.theguardian.com
In an earlier piece of work it was discovered that if a father started smoking regularly before reaching puberty, then his sons, but not daughters, had more body fat than expected.
Now researchers believe they have pinpointed higher body fat in females with grandfathers or great-grandfathers who began smoking before the age 13. No effects were observed in male descendants.
The research suggests exposure to substances can lead to changes that may be passed through the generations, though the team behind the research concede that much more work is needed to confirm this and understand how it may happen.
They have been able to spot the possible link because of the detail and depth of inter-generational data the University of Bristol study provides and it is an example of findings that the scientists could not have anticipated when it was launched in 1991.
Pioneering study finds generational link between smoking and body fat
Females whose grandfathers began smoking at early age tend to have more body fat, Children of the 90s study suggests
www.theguardian.com