Friday, September 2, 2011

Mother's Smoking Habit and Her Baby's Brain

Animals exposed to secondhand smoke display symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety. The same association between tobacco exposure and mental health issues can be seen with humans.

In fact, a 2011 study from Finland suggests that a mother's smoking habits during pregnancy can have a deleterious effect on the baby's developing brahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifin.

Examining Finnish data from 175,000 children born in the country between 1987 and 1989, Finnish researchers have discovered that mothers who smoked while pregnant had a higher incidence of children on antidepressant medication, stimulants and drugs for addiction.

11% of children whose mothers smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day and 14% of children whose mothers smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day were on at least one psychiatric medication.

By contrast, only 8% of children whose mothers remained smoke free during pregnancy were on at least one of the drugs.

More can be accessed here.

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