Previous studies show that the environment may affect the health of multiple generations in one family. Environmental exposures and behaviors can change a person’s epigenetics, the markers and structural changes that direct how genes are read and understood. These markers and changes form a “molecular memory” can be passed down across generations. For example, if a pregnant woman is exposed to a chemical, her children’s and possibly grandchildren’s health may be impacted through epigenetic changes.
Knowing this, ECHO researcher Carrie Breton, ScD of the University of Southern California and her writing team gathered information from past studies to provide a review of existing epigenetic research and evaluate the potential role of epigenetics in the passing on of health risks to later generations. Breton served as lead author and was accompanied by other ECHO researchers, such as Rebecca Fry, PhD of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Alison Hipwell, PhD of the University of Pittsburgh; Cristiane Duarte, PhD of Columbia University; Linda Kahn, PhD of NYU Langone Health; Rachel Miller, MD of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Joseph Braun, PhD of Brown University. Their research, titled “Exploring the evidence for epigenetic regulation of environmental influences on child health across generations” is now published in Communications Biology.
“While complex childhood disorders clearly have genetic components, it is increasingly clear that the environment can play a substantial role in affecting risk, even across generations. Our question was how much evidence exists to support epigenetic mechanisms as one route for conveying that risk,” said Breton.
To collect information, the writing team reviewed several studies on humans and animals investigating the role of epigenetics in multigenerational health. They used these studies to build a broad view of how environmental exposures and behaviors can have a lasting impact on the health and well-being of children for generations to come.
Research from this review found evidence in animals and humans that environmental exposures can affect health across multiple generations, potentially through altered epigenetics. One of the challenges of studying epigenetics in humans is untangling the complex interactions between epigenetic, genetic, and environmental factors associated with certain health outcomes. The scale of the ECHO Program makes it uniquely situated to address questions about environmental exposures across generations.
“By looking at many results together, scientists can find important patterns and form a better understanding of how the environment can affect the health of a mother, child, and grandchild,” said Fry.