New research: Maternal smoking related to overweight children

People are well aware of the health consequences of smoking and research studies are being done all over the world, informing the public about new and important findings. For example, a new study suggests that maternal smoking could be linked to childhood obesity. One theory for this is based on muscle growth. The study basically states that babies who are small and thin at birth lack muscle, which is a deficiency that will most-likely persist after birth. It states that the critical period for muscle growth occurs in utero and that there is little cell replication after birth. Furthermore, if nourishment is compromised in utero, muscle will not have the opportunity to grow and develop to its full potential. This situation can be unfortunate because muscle plays a very important role in the functioning of the body, for example burning fat for energy. Due to lack of muscle development, LBW babies may grow up to have a disproportionately high fat mass in relation to lean body mass, which can lead to another danger such as insulin resistance (Barker, 16). Another theory as to why maternal smoking is associated with over-weight children is attributed to the process of “catch up growth,” commonly experienced among LBW infants. Babies born with a lower than average weight go through a period of rapid growth afterward to catch up to where they should be. During accelerated growth, a baby’s body is working extra hard and overcompensating in order to reach normal weight. This can affect the baby’s metabolism, making it harder to regulate food intake and also making the baby more susceptible to weight gain later in life. Also, infants of smoking mothers go through a form of nicotine withdrawal after birth, and similar to smokers trying to kick the habit, may develop problems with appetite control.

Citation:

Barker, David JP. “Low Birth Weight, Early Growth and Chronic Disease Later in Life.”
Pediatric Basics: The Journal of Pediatric Nutrition and Development. 104 (2003): 12-19. 10 Apr. 2007. <http://www.gerber.com/content/usa/html/pages/pediatricbasics/pdffiles/PedBasics_104.PDF>