We usually talk about how harmful it is to smoke in pregnancy for the development of the baby. It is associated with congenital heart defects, with problems in the baby's brain development, with behavioral problems and even with a higher risk of death of the newborn, but research has focused more on the long term.
A study conducted in Sweden and published in the journal 'Diabetologia' concludes that smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes in your daughter when she is pregnant.
Until now we knew the harmful effects of tobacco during the baby in gestation, the newborn and even in childhood related to respiratory problems, but it is the first time that it is associated with obesity and complications in the pregnancy of daughters of mothers who have smoked in their own pregnancy.
More than 80 thousand pregnancies of women born in 1982 were analyzed and divided into three groups: non-smokers, moderate smokers (between 1 and 9 cigarettes a day) and heavy smokers (more than 9 cigarettes a day).
They found that the risk of suffering from gestational diabetes increased 62 percent among daughters who were moderately exposed to tobacco in the womb and the 52 percent among the daughters of heavy smokers. Interestingly, more risk in those who smoked but not so much.
However, the risk of obesity was reversed. It increased among the daughters of women who smoked a lot (58 percent more exposed to being obese) compared to those of women who smoked moderately (36 percent)
Of course, the figures speak for themselves making tobacco (even more) one of the great enemies in pregnancy. Its effects can be seen even in the long term affecting your own daughter's pregnancy by increase the risk of gestational diabetes, and therefore, also the health of your grandson.
