Father’s tobacco use may raise children’s diabetes risk, mouse study suggests

A mouse study found that a father’s nicotine exposure can affect the offspring’s ability to process sugar and may contribute to diabetes risk, according to new research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

An estimated 40.1 million people in the United States have diabetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Having diabetes puts people at risk of developing other conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Since diabetes affects more than 12% of Americans and is a chronic disease, the costs of treatment are high.

Tobacco product use is a leading preventable cause of adverse health outcomes, according to the study. Limiting risk factors like smoking and electronic cigarette use could help address the diabetes epidemic, particularly among men, who consume more tobacco products than women.

“When male mice consumed nicotine in their drinking water, their offspring had metabolic alterations that appear to impact the way the body metabolizes sugar,” said the study’s senior author, Raquel Chamorro-Garcia, Ph.D., of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz, Calif. “This suggests that tobacco use in men is linked with an increased risk of their descendants developing diabetes.”

The researchers monitored the offspring of male mice exposed to nicotine in their drinking water. The offspring were compared to the descendants of a control group of mice that were not exposed to nicotine. The study found female offspring of male mice exposed to nicotine had lower insulin levels and lower fasting glucose levels than the control group.

Among male offspring, the offspring of mice exposed to nicotine had lower blood glucose levels and altered liver function compared to the control group. Obesity and diabetes can contribute to the development of a condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

“Considering the evidence that male exposure can increase the likelihood of their children developing chronic diseases, it is crucial to incorporate male health into preconception care,” said Chamorro-Garcia, assistant professor of microbiology and environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz. “Our findings suggest fathers’ use of tobacco products may have lasting effects on their children’s health.”

Since the mice were exposed to pure nicotine in the experiment, the findings indicate byproducts in cigarettes or additives in e-cigarettes were not responsible for the metabolic changes, Chamorro-Garcia said.

Other study authors are Stephanie Aguiar, Truman Natividad, Daniel Davis, and Carlos Diaz-Castillo, all at UC Santa Cruz.