It is easy to stare in horror when one sees a pregnant woman with a cigarette on her fingers. One's reaction would, however, be different when seeing a pregnant woman having softdrink. Sugar and smoking may be entirely different things but there are parallels between the two.
Second-hand smoking can be harmful especially to children. On the other hand, second-hand sugar is also equally dangerous to the child's health and development. Even the unborn child can suffer from being exposed to sugar passed on by the mother during pregnancy.
Children continue to be exposed to sugar involuntarily even after birth when they are given sugar-rich baby food and infant formula, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. A study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on the six-year diet of 1,189 infants. They found out that kids are twice at risk of suffering from obesity when they are given drinks with sugar three times every week.
Sugar consumption poses risks for both the baby and the mother, as per the National Institutes Of Health. Pregnant women who are not diabetic but with higher than normal levels of blood sugar are more likely to deliver babies with the same health risks and problems to babies with diabetic mothers. Among the risks are shoulder dystocia and Caesarian delivery.
An unborn child can develop heart problems later in life if the mother consumes too much sugar, according to The Telegraph. University of Texas Medical Branch researchers found out that high fructose intake during pregnancy can lead to children with a variety of health problems including obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is recommended that pregnant women should limit their intake of food with high fructose content if they want to give birth to health babies.
