Boys who smoke and vape risk passing health issues on to their children, study says

Boys who smoke in their early teens risk passing on damaged genes to their own children, leading to greater chances of them developing asthma, obesity and lung problems, according to a study.

Scientists from the universities of Southampton and Bergen in Norway fear vaping could cause similar inherited health issues.

The researchers examined the epigenetic profiles of 875 people aged between seven and 50, and looked at the smoking behaviour of their fathers.

They found 19 changes across 14 genes associated with asthma, obesity and wheezing in the children of those who smoked before the age of 15.

The changes found affected how DNA was packaged in cells (methylation) and how they regulate gene expression (switching them on and off).

Professor Cecilie Svanes, from the University of Bergen, said: “Our studies have shown that the health of future generations depends on the actions and decisions made by young people today – long before they are parents – in particular for boys in early puberty and mothers/grandmothers both pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy.”

Dr Negusse Kitaba, research fellow at the University of Southampton, said: “Changes in epigenetic markers were much more pronounced in children whose fathers started smoking during puberty than those whose fathers had started smoking at any time before conception.

“Early puberty may represent a critical window of physiological changes in boys.

“This is when the stem cells are being established which will make sperm for the rest of their lives.”

Professor John Holloway, also based at Southampton and co-author of the study published in Clinical Epigenetics, said there were concerns that nicotine found in vapes could have a similar effect.

He said: “Some animal studies suggest that nicotine may be the substance in cigarette smoke that is driving epigenetic changes in offspring.

“So, it’s deeply worrying that teenagers today, especially teenage boys, are now being exposed to very high levels of nicotine through vaping.

“The evidence from this study comes from people whose fathers smoked as teenagers in the 60s and 70s, when smoking tobacco was much more common.

“We can’t definitely be sure vaping will have similar effects across generations but we shouldn’t wait a couple of generations to prove what impact teenage vaping might have. We need to act now.”

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