Prenatal Factors and Lifelong Health
Here are some examples describing the long-term consequences of prenatal events. There is no substitute at any age for a well balanced diet and avoiding exposure to harmful substances.
The same study also reported a nearly two-fold increased risk of asthma in five-year-olds whose mothers had the lowest zinc intake during pregnancy.13
Low vitamin D intake during pregnancy is associated with increased wheezing symptoms in five-year-old children (but not asthma), independent of their vitamin D intake after birth.14
High levels of stress later in pregnancy did not translate into increased risks in the children under study.
Prenatal tobacco exposure is also linked to a higher risk of obesity at ages 3,20 4½,21 5 to 7,22 and 33.23 This effect appears to be dose related—the more a pregnant woman smokes, the higher the risk of obesity in her children.24
Other reported complications include: a two- to six-fold greater risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS),25 and an increased risk of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),26 noninsulin-dependent diabetes,27 and tobacco experimentation during childhood.28 The risk of nicotine dependence in adults is also elevated.29
Additionally, prenatal tobacco exposure is linked with an increased risk of conduct disorder,30 a collection of emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Less well known is the increased risk of ADHD,32 conduct disorder,33 and intrauterine growth retardation.34 Prenatal alcohol exposure is also associated with an increased risk of alcohol use during adolescence,35 a higher risk of alcohol dependence in early adulthood,36 and lower academic performance.37 Heavy alcohol use during pregnancy is associated with very early premature birth.38
Footnotes
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