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Golding J, Pembrey ME, Gregory S, Suderman M, Iles-Caven Y, Northstone K. Paternal grandmother's smoking in pregnancy is associated with extreme aversion to bitter taste in their grandchildren. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2022; 8:dvac003. [PMID: 35299985 PMCID: PMC8923060 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvac003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although there are many examples in the experimental literature of an environmental exposure in one generation impacting the phenotypes of subsequent generations, there are few studies that can assess whether such associations occur in humans. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) has, however, been able to determine whether there are associations between grandparental exposures and their grandchildren's development. Several of our studies, including sensitivity to loud noise, have shown associations between a grandmother smoking in pregnancy and the phenotype of the grandchild. These results were mostly specific to the sex of the grandchild and to whether the prenatal (i.e. during pregnancy) smoking occurred in the maternal or paternal grandmother. Here, we have used ancestral data on prenatal smoking among the grandmothers of the ALSPAC index children to examine possible effects on the grandchild's ability to detect the bitter taste of PROP (6 n-propylthiouracil), distinguishing between the 10% deemed 'extreme tasters', and the rest of the population (total N = 4656 children). We showed that grandchildren whose paternal (but not maternal) grandmothers had smoked in pregnancy were more likely than those of non-smoking grandmothers to be extreme tasters [odds ratio (OR) 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.59] and that this was more likely in granddaughters (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.03, 1.95) than grandsons (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.88, 1.60). This pattern of association between paternal foetal exposure and the granddaughter's development has been found with several other outcomes, suggesting that investigations should be undertaken to investigate possible mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Golding
- **Correspondence address. Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School (PHS), University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol BS8 2BN, UK. Tel: +44 117 3310198; E-mail:
| | - Marcus E Pembrey
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Steven Gregory
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Yasmin Iles-Caven
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Kate Northstone
- Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Golding J, Pembrey M, Iles-Caven Y, Watkins S, Suderman M, Northstone K. Ancestral smoking and developmental outcomes: a review of publications from a population birth cohort†. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:625-631. [PMID: 34170302 PMCID: PMC8444670 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The adverse effects on the child of maternal smoking in pregnancy is well-recognized, but little research has been carried out on the possible non-genetic effects of ancestral smoking prior to the pregnancy including parental initiation of cigarette smoking in their own childhoods or a grandmother smoking during pregnancy. Here, we summarize the studies that have been published mainly using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We demonstrate evidence that ancestral smoking prior to or during pregnancy can often be beneficial for offspring health and both ancestor- and sex-specific. More specifically, we report evidence of (i) adverse effects of the father starting to smoke pre-puberty on his son's development; (ii) beneficial effects on the grandson if his maternal grandmother had smoked in pregnancy; and (iii) mainly adverse effects on the granddaughter when the paternal grandmother had smoked in pregnancy. The ancestor- and sex-specificity of these results are consistent with earlier studies reporting associations of health and mortality with ancestral food supply in their parents' and grandparents' pre-pubertal childhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Golding
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Marcus Pembrey
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Yasmin Iles-Caven
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sarah Watkins
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Kate Northstone
- Public Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Golding J, van den Berg G, Northstone K, Suderman M, Ellis G, Iles-Caven Y, Gregory S, Pembrey M. Grandchild's IQ is associated with grandparental environments prior to the birth of the parents. Wellcome Open Res 2021; 5:198. [PMID: 33842694 PMCID: PMC8008356 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16205.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Despite convincing animal experiments demonstrating the potential for environmental exposures in one generation to have demonstrable effects generations later, there have been few relevant human studies. Those that have been undertaken have demonstrated associations, for example, between exposures such as nutrition and cigarette smoking in the grandparental generation and outcomes in grandchildren. We hypothesised that such transgenerational associations might be associated with the IQ of the grandchild, and that it would be likely that there would be differences in results between the sexes of the grandparents, parents, and children. Method. We used three-generational data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). We incorporated environmental factors concerning grandparents (F0) and focussed on three exposures that we hypothesised may have independent transgenerational associations with the IQ of the grandchildren (F2): (i) UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at grandparental birth year; (ii) whether grandfather smoked; and (iii) whether the grandmother smoked in the relevant pregnancy. Potential confounders were ages of grandparents when the relevant parent was born, ethnic background, education level and social class of each grandparent. Results. After adjustment, all three target exposures had specific associations with measures of IQ in the grandchild. Paternal grandfather smoking was associated with reduced total IQ at 15 years; maternal grandfather smoking with reduced performance IQ at 8 years and reduced total IQ at 15. Paternal grandmother smoking in pregnancy was associated with reduced performance IQ at 8, especially in grandsons. GDP at grandparents' birth produced independent associations of reduced IQ with higher GDP; this was particularly true of paternal grandmothers. Conclusions. These results are complex and need to be tested in other datasets. They highlight the need to consider possible transgenerational associations in studying developmental variation in populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Golding
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | | | - Kate Northstone
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Genette Ellis
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Yasmin Iles-Caven
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Steve Gregory
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Marcus Pembrey
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
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Golding J, van den Berg G, Northstone K, Suderman M, Ellis G, Iles-Caven Y, Gregory S, Pembrey M. Grandchild's IQ is associated with grandparental environments prior to the birth of the parents. Wellcome Open Res 2020; 5:198. [PMID: 33842694 PMCID: PMC8008356 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16205.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: In spite of convincing animal experiments demonstrating the potential for environmental exposures in one generation to have demonstrable effects generations later, there have been few relevant human studies. Those that have been undertaken have demonstrated associations, for example, between exposures such as nutrition and cigarette smoking in the grandparental generation and outcomes in grandchildren. We hypothesised that such transgenerational associations might be associated with the IQ of the grandchild, and that it would be likely that there would be differences in results between the sexes of the grandparents, parents and children. Methods: We used three-generational data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). We incorporated environmental factors concerning grandparents (F0) and focussed on three exposures that we hypothesised may have independent transgenerational associations with the IQ of the grandchildren (F2): (i) UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at grandparental birth year; (ii) whether the grandfather smoked; and (iii) whether the grandmother smoked in the relevant pregnancy. Potential confounders were ages of grandparents when the relevant parent was born, ethnic background, education level and social class of each grandparent. Results: After adjustment, all three target exposures had specific associations with measures of IQ in the grandchild. Paternal grandfather smoking was associated with reduced total IQ at 15 years; maternal grandfather smoking with reduced performance IQ at 8 years and reduced total IQ at 15. Paternal grandmother smoking in pregnancy was associated with reduced performance IQ at 8, especially in grandsons. GDP at grandparents' birth produced independent associations of reduced IQ with higher GDP; this was particularly true of paternal grandmothers. Conclusions: These results are complex and need to be tested in other datasets. They highlight the need to consider possible transgenerational associations in studying developmental variation in populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Golding
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | | | - Kate Northstone
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Matthew Suderman
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Genette Ellis
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Yasmin Iles-Caven
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Steve Gregory
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - Marcus Pembrey
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
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