Passive smoking during childhood leaves a mark on the DNA of children, which contributes to explaining the adverse effects on health, according to a study that includes data from eight European countries (Spain, France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden).
This is the main conclusion of the study led by the Institute of Global Health of Barcelona (ISGlobal), in Spain, which has been published in the magazine Environment International.
Study researchers highlight in their conclusions the need to reduce exposure to passive smoking, especially in children’s environments.
Specifically, they warn that “the postnatal exposure to tobacco smoke alters DNA methylation, which could contribute to explaining the adverse effects on health.”
They also ensure that children exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to show certain changes in the epigenoma, which can alter the way in which genes are expressed.
These epigenetic alterations could influence the development of diseases in the future, the Isglobal researchers argue.
DNA is like an instruction book for the body
DNA works as a “instruction book” for the body, and without changing the content of the “book” (that is, the gene sequence), the tobacco smoke can add “marks” in certain pages.
These “brands” can affect the way in which these instructions are read, and one of these “marks”, the methylation of DNA, is one of the main epigenetic mechanisms that activate or deactivate the expression of genes.
Although it is long known that the effects of maternal smoking in pregnancy affect epigenoma, this research is one of the first to show how passive exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood can also have a harmful effect.
The study has included data from 2,695 children from eight European countries (Spain, France, Greece, Lithuania, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Sweden), between 7 and 10 years of age who were volunteers of six cohorts of the Consortium on epigenetics in pregnancy and childhood (PACE).
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From the blood samples of the participants, the scientific team studied the level of methylation in concrete DNA sites throughout the genome, and associated it with the number of smokers in the home (0, 1, or 2 or more ).
Changes were identified in DNA methylation in 11 regions (called CPGS) associated with passive smoking exposure, and most of these regions have also been related to previous studies to direct exposure to tobacco in active smokers or during pregnancy .
In addition, six of them are associated with diseases such as asthma or cancer, for which tobacco is a risk factor.
According to Marta Cosin-Tomàs, a researcher at Isglobal and first author of the study, the research carried out demonstrates that “passive smoking during childhood leaves a mark at the molecular level, being able to modify the expression of genes that influence the susceptibility to diseases in adulthood in adulthood ”
Households are sources of smoke exposure
Despite the growing regulation of tobacco consumption in public spaces, households remain one of the main sources of tobacco smoke for children.
In 2004, it was estimated that 40 % of children worldwide were exposed to passive smoking, despite the fact that child exposure to this pollutant not only increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, but can also affect development neurological and immune function.
Another researchers, Mariona Bustamente, argues that “the results obtained suggest that passive smoking in childhood results in epigenetic changes similar to those observed with intrauterine exposure to tobacco or active consumption.”
This proves “the urgency of implementing comprehensive measures to reduce children’s exposure to tobacco smoke, both in the home and in other closed spaces.”
The principal researcher, Marta Cosin-Tomàs, concludes that “it is not about appealing to the individual responsibility of families” because “exposure to tobacco is a public health problem and hides a matter of social inequality.”
“Socio -economic and environmental factors, together with the persistent influence of powerful commercial interests, hinder the reduction of exposure to tobacco smoke in certain homes,” he emphasizes.
With EFE information.
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