Smoking during pregnancy can affect the baby’s growth

Smoking during pregnancy is associated with changes in the genetic patterns of the placenta, many of which are in turn linked to poorer embryonic growth, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications, prepared by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and Emory University in the United States.

“The placenta reacts to tobacco smoke in a unique and specific way”, Concluded the study and specified that smoking causes changes in the methylation patterns of the DNA of the placenta, and these changes can affect genes involved in responses to environmental factors, growth and inflammation, which would explain the impact on fetal growth. In addition, the mechanisms behind the toxicity of tobacco smoke are not yet completely clear. Environmental exposures can induce chemical changes in the genome which, in turn, affect gene expression. One of these modifications is DNA methylation.

Some 1,700 mothers participated as volunteers in seven different studies that took place in Australia, France, Spain, Canada and the United States. Based on these the data worked the researchers. Mariana Bustamante, a scientist at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, set out to analyze how the placenta responds to tobacco smoke in a unique and specific way. The analysis identified 433 CpG sites associated with smoking during pregnancy, almost half of which were associated with premature labor or a decrease in birth weight or height.

Next, the research team explored the functional consequences of these associations and found that some of these CpGs are found in or near genes that respond to environmental factors, regulate inflammatory activity, signal via growth factors. or are involved in metabolic health. Finally, the comparison between these results and those of a previous meta-analysis using umbilical cord blood, suggested that in terms of DNA methylation, lThe placenta reacts to tobacco smoke in a unique and specific way.

“Almost one in ten mothers smokes during pregnancy, with a state-specific prevalence ranging from 1.8% to 27.1% in the United States, while in Europe, the prevalence of maternal smoking during pregnancy. pregnancy varies between 4.2 and 18.9%, so smoking during this period is a significant public health problem ”, the researchers detailed in the report.

Cigarette addiction is different in women and men

A recently published in-depth study warned that although women smoke fewer cigarettes than men, it is more difficult to quit this habit, according to a survey of more than 35,000 smokers presented two weeks ago at the congress of the European Society of Cardiology. The study, which between 2001 and 2008 compared the characteristics of smokers of both sexes, found that women who sought help to quit smoking had higher rates of overweight or obesity, depression and anxiety than men and were less successful in their attempts to quit smoking. abandoned the habit.

“Our results show that it is necessary to offer specific help, adapted to the needs of women who wish to quit smoking”, commented the researcher from the University of Burgundy, France, and author of the study, Ingrid Allagbe. Participants were over 18 years of age and had at least one additional factor of cardiovascular disease: overweight / obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, or a history of stroke, heart attack, or angina.

The researchers concluded that women smoked less (23 cigarettes per day versus 27 they smoked), had a lower rate of severe nicotine dependence (56% versus 60% of men). “The results suggest that despite smoking less and being less nicotine dependent than men, it is more difficult for women to quit smoking.. The higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and overweight or obesity among women may contribute, ”explained Alllagbe. For this researcher, one of the causes could be that “women face different barriers to quitting smoking related to fear of gaining weight, sex hormones and mood ”.

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