Prenatal Nicotine Exposure May Increase Obesity Risk
Early research shows that children who are exposed to nicotine before birth may have an increased likelihood of being obese during childhood. A Duke researcher explains what may cause this to occur . . .
It's well-known that smoking decreases appetite in adults, and that smokers typically weigh less than non-smokers. However, some preliminary research indicates that the exact opposite may hold true for the children of women who smoke during pregnancy. Ed Levin is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center. "The children of smokers, although they may be born at a lighter weight, gain weight more rapidly during their childhood and have a greater tendency toward obesity." Levin says this increase in childhood obesity may be caused by nicotine's lowering of a neurochemical response that affects metabolism. "Its effects on nervous system development, whenever it's given prenatally, actually blunt the responses that would cause fat to be mobilized. Our hypothesis is that then the offspring, their children, would lay down the fat but be unable to mobilize it. So they would just get more and more obese." So, are we likely to see yet another health warning on cigarette packs? "Certainly cigarette smoking has a lot of adverse effects, and this may be one additional one." I'm Cabell Smith for MedMinute.