The dangers
of smoking while pregnant have been known for years now. A child may have
several health complications if his or her mother is a smoker. However, these
ailments may be a result of the grandparents smoking and not the mother at all.
New research has shown that people who smoke are more likely to have
grandchildren with asthma. This is one example of how behavior before
conception can affect gene expression. In other study, it was demonstrated that
a man’s weight at the time of conception can affect the child’s likelihood of
obesity. Now, not only is it apparent that behavior can affect genes from
parent to child, but grandparent to grandchild.
This
information may reveal links between genetics and evolution. How an organism
behaves in an environment may alter the genes it passes on to the next
generation. This can allow us to further understand the past and aid us for the
future. If people understood how much their health can affect their children
and grandchildren and so on, they may take better care of themselves now.
http://news.discovery.com/human/genetics/smoking-while-pregnant-affects-grandkids-150929.htm
http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/paternal-obesity-at-time-of-conception-can-lead-to-overweight-kids-study-1.1647750
Very interesting article. Its always interesting to learn about how experiences can affect the offspring of an individual, but to discover how the experiences of an individual can affect the offspring of the next 2 generations is very interesting.
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