Lambert says childhood illness is “multigenerational”, citing microbiome and epigenetics

What was said

"Even if you as a parent did a really great job preparing yourself for pregnancy and childirth, you have to deal with whatever your mother did and whatever your grandmother did. If you think about the microbiome for instance, that is something that is handed down from generation to generation."

Lambert argues that present-day infant and child health can be shaped by exposures and medical events in previous generations, including antibiotic use that alters the microbiome. She also claims chemical exposures can “prime” immune responses via mechanisms she characterises as epigenetic, making descendants more reactive to later exposures.