New research suggests that people whose fathers started smoking during puberty may age faster than expected, highlighting how teenage smoking could harm not just the smoker, but also future generations.
The findings were presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam.
The study, led by Dr. Juan Pablo López-Cervantes from the University of Bergen in Norway, found that children of men who began smoking at age 15 or younger showed signs of accelerated biological aging.
Researchers believe this may be because smoking damages developing sperm cells in boys during puberty, passing on harmful changes to their children later in life.
To measure this, the researchers used a tool known as epigenetic clocks. As people age, chemical tags known as epigenetic markers accumulate on DNA.
These markers don’t change the DNA itself but can alter how genes work.
They are considered reliable indicators of biological aging and have been linked to age-related diseases such as cancer, arthritis, and dementia.
The study analyzed blood samples from 892 people aged 7 to 50, with an average age of 28.
Participants were part of the long-running RHINESSA study and answered detailed questions about their own smoking habits as well as their parents’. Using the blood samples, researchers assessed three different measures of biological age.
Results showed that people whose fathers had started smoking before age 15 were on average 9 to 12 months “older” biologically than their chronological age.
When researchers accounted for whether the children themselves smoked, the difference widened to 14 to 15 months.
By contrast, if fathers started smoking later in life, the effect on their children’s biological age was much smaller.
The study did not find a clear link between mothers smoking before pregnancy and changes in their children’s biological age.
“This accelerated biological aging is important because it has been linked in other research to a higher risk of serious diseases like cancer, arthritis, and dementia,” said Dr. López-Cervantes. “Our results suggest that boys who smoke during puberty may unknowingly create harm for the children they go on to have.”
He added that while the exact biological mechanisms are not fully understood, changes to sperm DNA caused by smoking in adolescence may play a role.
The findings add to growing evidence that the effects of smoking can last beyond one generation. Dr. Stamatoula Tsikrika, Chair of the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on tobacco and health education, said the study was an important reminder.
“We all know smoking causes diseases such as asthma, COPD, and cancer. What we are learning now is that the damage caused by smoking can persist across generations.”
Although teenage smoking rates have fallen in many countries, vaping is becoming more common among young people, and scientists still do not know the long-term effects of vaping on fertility and future generations.
The researchers say their work underscores the importance of protecting children and teenagers from nicotine addiction of all forms—not only for their own health, but also for the health of future generations.
