Tobacco Smoke Exposure In Womb Increases Diabetes Risk, UC Davis Researchers Find
DAVIS (CBS SF) – A new study from researchers at the University of California, Davis and the Public Health Institute found women exposed to tobacco smoke from their parents in the womb have are at higher risk for diabetes.
The study involved 1,800 daughters of women who sought obstetric care through Kaiser Permanente between 1959 and 1967.
According to the study, women whose mothers smoked while pregnant were two to three times as likely to be diabetic when they became adults. A higher diabetes risk was also found when fathers smoked while their daughter was in utero, but researchers said more study is needed to determine how much risk.
Results of the study comes as California looks to strengthen already tough anti-smoking laws. Last month, Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-Azusa proposed making California the first state in the country to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco to 21.
The study is published in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.
