If you do not want your child to have high blood pressure that is a risk factor of heart disease, please do not smoke during your period of pregnancy. This is the warning issued by a study conducted by Australian and British in 2004, which involved nearly 3900 Australian children who were followed from their first days of life until age five to see which prenatal and early-life factors were associated with childhood systolic blood pressure. The researchers of this study suggested that parents' lifestyle choices may help determine their children's blood pressure, even before their kids are born.

The study found that five-year olds whose mothers smoked during pregnancy had higher blood pressure than the children of non-smokers, while those who had been breastfed for at least 6 months had lower blood pressure than those who were breastfed for a shorter time. Another interesting finding is that parents' weight also had influencing effect on their child's blood pressure, which rose in tandem with mother's and father's body mass index (BMI). The study also indicated that it is imperative for the whole family to have a healthy diet and exercise. Although those associations found may reflect a genetic predisposition to obesity and high blood pressure, the investigation notes that they are also likely to be strongly influenced by family diet and physical activity levels.

The researchers emphasized that high blood pressure prevention needs to begin early. The most important and earliest way to do this is for the expectant mothers to avoid smoking during pregnancy.

Smoking has long been regarded as the most likely cause for various cancers (such as lung, mouth, kidney, bladder, and many others) and respiratory disease, and one of the risk factors for heart disease. Researches also found that smoking women are more likely facing increased risks for conception delay and for both primary and secondary infertility and may have a modest increase in risks for ectopic pregnancy and spontaneous abortion. They are younger at natural menopause than non-smokers and may experience more menopausal symptoms. Furthermore, women smoke during pregnancy is likely to encounter things like preterm delivery, low birth weight, premature rupture of membranes, miscarriage, and neonatal death, according to "Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century," by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective.

The above findings should sound an alarm and give more motivation for young women who smoke to quit, and for those who do not smoke not to take it up for the sake of not only their own health but also their offspring.

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