Smoking During Pregnancy Increases Risk of Underweight Offspring

A new study conducted by researchers at University of Zaragoza in Spain has found that babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are smaller and lighter in weight compared to babies of women who are nonsmokers. The researchers analyzed birth weights of more than 1,200 newly born babies and found that babies born to women who smoked during pregnancy were 180 to 230 grams thinner than other babies and subcutaneous (below the skin) skinfolds, which is an indicator of fat amount, was also lower in such babies.

Commenting on the study, published in the journal Early Human Development, lead researcher Gerardo Rodriguez said, “Given the scarce bibliography on the subject, we had to assess the impact of tobacco on the body composition of babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy.”

Source-Medindia