A father’s nicotine use may alter how his children’s bodies process sugar and raise their risk of diabetes, according to a mouse study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz gave male mice nicotine through their drinking water, then tracked metabolic markers in the offspring. The results showed measurable differences between pups born to nicotine-exposed fathers and those from an unexposed control group.
Female offspring of exposed fathers showed lower insulin levels and lower fasting glucose levels. Male offspring had reduced blood glucose levels and changes in liver function — shifts that researchers say may be connected to conditions including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.
What the Findings Show
“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 Raquel Chamorro-Garcia, Ph.D., the study’s senior author and assistant professor of microbiology and environmental toxicology at UC Santa Cruz. “This suggests that tobacco use in men is linked with an increased risk of their descendants developing diabetes.”
Because the experiment used pure nicotine rather than cigarette smoke or e-cigarette aerosol, the team says it was able to isolate nicotine’s effects from other compounds typically found in tobacco products.
The study notes that tobacco use ranks among the most significant preventable contributors to poor health outcomes, and that men use tobacco products more frequently than women — a gap that gives the findings particular relevance for male preconception health.
The Diabetes Context
The backdrop is a condition already straining the U.S. health system. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 40.1 million Americans are living with diabetes, representing more than 12 percent of the population. The disease carries a higher risk of complications including heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage, and imposes a substantial long-term financial burden on patients and the broader healthcare system.
The research team argues the findings point toward expanding what preconception care covers. “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,” Chamorro-Garcia said. “Our findings suggest fathers’ use of tobacco products may have lasting effects on their children’s health.”
Co-authors include Stephanie Aguiar, Truman Natividad, Daniel Davis, and Carlos Diaz-Castillo, all at UC Santa Cruz. Funding came from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the University of California Office of the President Tobacco-related Disease Research Program, and UC Santa Cruz start-up funds.
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