Generation R Study Group, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Jul;94(1):164-71. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.110.009225. Epub 2011 May 18.
Maternal smoking during pregnancy seems to be associated with obesity in offspring. Not much is known about the specific critical exposure periods or underlying mechanisms for this association.
We assessed the associations of active maternal and paternal smoking during pregnancy with early growth characteristics and risks of overweight and obesity in preschool children.
This study was a population-based, prospective cohort study from early fetal life until the age of 4 y in 5342 mothers and fathers and their children. Growth characteristics [head circumference, length, weight, and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2))] and overweight and obesity were repeatedly measured at the ages of 1, 2, 3, and 4 y.
In comparison with children from nonsmoking mothers, children from mothers who continued smoking during pregnancy had persistently smaller head circumferences and heights until the age of 4 y, whereas their weights were lower only until the age of 3 mo. This smaller length and normal to higher weight led to an increased BMI [SD score difference: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.20; P < 0.05)] and an increased risk of obesity (odds ratio: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.53; P < 0.05) at the age of 4 y. In nonsmoking mothers, paternal smoking was not associated with postnatal growth characteristics or risk of obesity in offspring. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a higher BMI at the age of 4 y in children with a normal birth weight and in those who were small for gestational age at birth.
Our findings suggest that direct intrauterine exposure to smoke until late pregnancy leads to different height and weight growth adaptations and increased risks of overweight and obesity in preschool children.
孕妇吸烟似乎与后代肥胖有关。对于这种关联的具体关键暴露期或潜在机制，人们知之甚少。
我们评估了孕妇和父亲在怀孕期间主动吸烟与学龄前儿童早期生长特征以及超重和肥胖风险之间的关系。
这是一项基于人群的前瞻性队列研究，从胎儿早期到 5342 名母亲、父亲及其子女 4 岁，对其进行了研究。生长特征（头围、身高、体重和体重指数（BMI；以 kg/m(2)表示））和超重及肥胖情况在 1、2、3 和 4 岁时进行了重复测量。
与不吸烟母亲的孩子相比，持续吸烟的母亲的孩子在 4 岁之前头围和身高一直较小，而体重仅在 3 个月时较低。这种较小的身高和正常到较高的体重导致 BMI 增加（标准差差异：0.11；95%置信区间：0.02，0.20；P < 0.05），4 岁时肥胖风险增加（比值比：1.61；95%置信区间：1.03，2.53；P < 0.05）。在不吸烟的母亲中，父亲吸烟与后代的产后生长特征或肥胖风险无关。孕妇在怀孕期间吸烟与正常出生体重和出生时小于胎龄儿的儿童在 4 岁时 BMI 较高有关。
我们的研究结果表明，直到妊娠晚期直接宫内暴露于烟雾会导致不同的身高和体重生长适应，并增加学龄前儿童超重和肥胖的风险。
