Scientists have uncovered another risk factor that determines whether a child will gain unnecessary weight or not. In the latest study, researchers from Canada found exposing a child to tobacco while in the mothers' womb contributing to his/ her chances of becoming obese as a teen.
Amirreza Haghighi, of the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada and colleagues looked at 378 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 and found childhood obesity originating from mothers' womb. Maternal cigarette smoking was also found bringing in structural changes in the brain, in favour of eating fatty foods.
"Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for obesity, but the underlying mechanisms are not known," the authors were quoted as writing in a news release. "Preference for fatty foods, regulated in part by the brain reward system, may contribute to the development of obesity."
All the participants of the study were part of Saguenay Youth Study in Canada. Children participating in the study were divided in accordance to their mother's smoking habits during pregnancy. Among the total number of participants, mother of 180 children smoked during pregnancy and 198 didn't.
Researchers found that exposed children having low weight at birth and getting breast milk only for a very short period. They showed higher body weight, body mass index (BMI) and body fat compared to the non-exposed participants. Apart from that, researchers also found the tobacco exposed children showing reduced volume of amygdale in the brain that controls emotions and memories.
"Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking may promote obesity by enhancing dietary preference for fat, and this effect may be mediated in part through subtle structural variations in the amygdala," the authors concluded.
The findings have been reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Health experts recommend women to avoid smoking during pregnancy, for having a healthy baby. However, according to a latest CDC report, about 14 percent of American women smoke during pregnancy.
