The participation of the children and grandchildren of the original HCS cohort members has opened up new opportunities for early-life research across generations. Professor Elaine Dennison says, ‘It is wonderful that we have been able to extend an invitation for HCS members’ children and grandchildren to get involved. This allows us to consider the effects of events early in life on the health of future generations. The enthusiasm we have received for this study has been fantastic, and we remain very grateful to our study participants.’
Using data from across three generations of the HCS, the MRC LEC study team were able to explore associations between the early-life weight gain of grandparents and the adult heights of their children and grandchildren. This study found that the early-life growth of grandparents could influence the adult heights of their children and grandchildren. Greater grandparental birth weight, weight at one year, and conditional weight gain during the first year of life were associated with taller offspring and grandchildren.
This research is the first of its kind to investigate the association between early-life weight gain in grandparents and the adult height of subsequent generations. It also demonstrates the importance of early-life determinants of health both for individuals and their families. Thank you so much to our intergenerational participants!
