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Prenatal exposure to parental smoking increases diabetes risk in adult women
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A predisposition to diabetes in adulthood was found among women who were exposed to tobacco smoke from their parents while still in the womb, according to study findings published in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.
“Our findings are consistent with the idea that gestational environmental chemical exposures can contribute to the development of health and disease,” Michele A. La Merrill, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of environmental toxicology at the University of California at Davis, said in a press release.
Michele A. La Merrill
La Merrill and colleagues evaluated data from 1,801 daughters aged 44 to 54 years of women who participated in the Child Health and Development Studies to determine the effect of parental smoking during gestation on the risk for diabetes. Participants included 48 sister pairs and one set of three sisters. HbA1c measures were available for a random subset of 370 participants.
HbA1c levels of at least 6.5% revealed 10 additional cases of diabetes not identified by self-report.
A 1-kg/m2 increase in participants’ mean BMI was linked to paternal smoking during pregnancy, whereas maternal smoking was not significant for BMI. An increased risk of participants’ self-reported type 2 diabetes diagnosis was associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy, whereas paternal smoking was not significant for self-reported diabetes.
Participants exposed to only maternal smoking while in utero had three times the risk, whereas participants exposed to only paternal smoking while in utero had two times the risk. No increased risk for diabetes was found when both parents smoked compared with just the mothers.
“We found that smoking of parents is by itself a risk factor for diabetes, independent of obesity or birth weight,” La Merrill said. “If a parent smokes, you’re not protected from diabetes just because you’re lean.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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