Researchers say that now more research must be done to determine what the molecular changes could be in addition to other possible associations. (GETTY IMAGES)

There’s no shortage of guidance around the dangers of smoking cigarettes – but this latest finding could prompt further scrutiny of the practice.

A University of Bristol study, published in Scientific Reports, found that if a girl’s maternal grandmother smoked while pregnant, she gave her granddaughter a 67 percent higher chance of showing signs associated with autism, such as poor social communication and repetitive behaviors. She also gave all her grandchildren a 53 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The research is a piece of a larger study on how maternal and paternal grandmother’s pregnancy smoking affects their grandchildren.

Scientists examined data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children for the study, also called the Children of the 90s, which kept up with 14,000 children in the United Kingdom by enrolling pregnant women in 1991 and 1992.

The autistic traits analysis involved more than 7,000 participants. Only 177 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, too few to allow analysis by grandsons and granddaughters separately.

But how does a phenomenon like this happen, exactly?

It seems that cigarette smoke could affect a baby girl’s developing eggs in the womb, resulting in side effects when it comes to having children of her own.

Read more on… Health Buzz: Grandmother’s Smoking Associated With Grandchildren’s Autism Spectrum Disorder

Author: David Oliver