Vitamin C may offset effects of maternal smoking on baby

Business Standard: Although smoking during pregnancy is reported to have an adverse effect on foetus health, a new study shows that regular intake of Vitamin C by smoker mom-to-be may help reduce harm done to infant's lungs after birth.

The study showed that at three months of age, infants whose mothers took 500 mg of Vitamin C per day in addition to their prenatal vitamin had significantly better forced expiratory flows (FEFs) that measure how fast air can be exhaled from the lung and can detect airway obstruction.

In addition, the researchers also found an association between the infant FEFs and a genetic variant some of the mothers possessed that increased the negative impact of nicotine on the babies before they were born.

"Smoking during pregnancy reflects the highly addictive nature of nicotine that disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations," said lead author Cindy T. McEvoy, Professor from the Oregon Health and Science University in the US.

"Finding a way to help infants exposed to smoking and nicotine in uterus recognises the unique dangers posed by a highly advertised, addictive product and the lifetime effects on offspring who did not choose to be exposed," McEvoy added. BS