An increased exposure of the mother to air pollution in the three months preceding the baby design was associated with a higher risk of infant obesity up to two years after birth, according to a new study.
- According to a new study, exposure to air pollution in the three months preceding pregnancy predicted a higher body mass (BMI) index in children.
- This baby also faces an increased risk of infant obesity up to two years after birth.
- Researchers add that measures can be taken to reduce exposure to air pollution.
If you have a baby project, watch out for the air you breathe. A study conducted in China – where peaks of air pollution are very important – reveals that exposure to fine particles during the three months preceding pregnancy is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) in children as well as that an increased risk of obesity in the first two years of life.
The results were published in detail in the journal Environmental Research.
Exposure to fine particles before design impacts the BIB of babies
To assess the impact of air pollution on pregnancies, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Duke University and Fudan University researchers recruited 5,834 women who consulted in 28 Shanghai maternity units. They were thus followed even before their pregnancy. The children they subsequently gave birth to were also regularly examined by doctors. Their weight and size were noted every three months until the age of two.
Exposure to air pollution (PM2.5, PM10, no2) During the preconception period was evaluated using advanced automatic learning models using satellite data, pollutant simulations and meteorological assessments. The team then compared the children of the participants with a relatively low level of exposure (the 25th percentile of the cohort) to those whose mothers were strongly exposed (the 75th percentile of the cohort).
Results: a higher level of exposure to PM2.5 during the preconception period was associated with an increase of 0.078 of the BMI compared to the average BMI of a two -year -old child. A higher level of exposure to PM10s was associated with an increase of 0.093 kg/m2 From BMI at the age of two. From six months, children whose mothers had been more exposed before the design of three pollutants had a highest weight, BMI and a standardized growth rate.
“The scale is low, but as air pollution is widespread and everyone is exposed, the risk of exposure to air pollution on the risk of children’s obesity can be substantial and can Start before their mother’s pregnancy “concludes Dr Zhanghua Chen, assistant professor at the Keck School of Medicine and the main author of the study.
Air and child pollution: measures can reduce the risks
“These results imply that the three months preceding the design are important and that people who plan to have children should consider taking measures to reduce their exposure to air pollution in order to reduce the risk of obesity of obesity their children “underlines the first author Dr Jiawen Liao in a press release.
With his colleagues, he specifies that measures can be taken by all those who are eager to protect themselves from the harmful effects of air pollution, especially when the external air quality is bad:
- wearing a mask;
- staying inside as much as possible (during pollution peaks);
- the use of purified air inside.
Researchers add “Although the study has focused on mothers, men who plan to design could benefit from similar precautions”. In addition, they plan to conduct new studies to confirm that exposure to air pollution before pregnancy affects the risk of infantile obesity. Among other things, they plan to conduct similar studies in southern California.
