The body remembers everything and over time accumulates bio markers. The environmental exposure of the fetus remains genetically written in the blood of children. In fact, the blood of children up to the age of 5 remembers its contact with nicotine during pregnancy.
Researchers from the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health (USA) tested the blood of 531 preschool children from six different sites in the United States and also asked their mothers whether or not they had smoked during their pregnancy. They found that they were able, in 81% of cases, to accurately tell whether the baby had been exposed to “passive” smoking during pregnancy.
The principle of this new study published in the medical journal Environmental Research involved analyzing blood molecules that are not part of the DNA sequence, but that regulate genes, which are turned on and off in the body based on biomarkers.
“We have known for a long time that the body is a toxin accumulator. Evidence of lead exposure lives in our bones, for example. But we didn’t know that blood could contain evidence of nicotine exposure. only during your lifetime, but before birth. The results of this study confirm that yes, “says Daniele Fallin, Halpert professor and chair of the Bloomberg School’s Department of Mental Health.
Smoking and pregnancy
In France, 24% of pregnant women declare to smoke daily and 3% still smoke occasionally. However, smoking during pregnancy can have important consequences for the unborn child: low birth weight of the baby, miscarriage, premature delivery, heart defects …
A study by the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) of more than 200 children found that babies whose mothers were regular smokers during their pregnancy have smaller brains and are more stressed and anxious than others. They will also be more prone to depression and mood disorders.
Read also:
Tobacco and pregnancy: now is the time to quit
Tobacco and pregnancy: why they don’t mix
Tobacco: nearly one in 5 women still smoke at the end of pregnancy
