Be careful with your travel plans if you are pregnant, especially in the first trimester. If you are in a job that requires frequent traveling, see that you are not exposed to traffic fumes frequently as researchers have found that air pollution could stunt the growth of the babies in the womb. The most damaging pollutants are sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, which come directly out of the car exhaust.
When Brisbane researchers analyzed the ultrasound scans of over 15,000 women who lived within fourteen kilometers of the city center, they found that women who lived close to main roads carried smaller babies. The differences in the size of the fetuses were between one and two millimeters. It is a known fact that bigger babies grow into healthy adults.
Well, there have been studies showing that heavier babies have higher IQ (intelligence quotient) at age seven and then lower risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes later on in adult life, so, these are pretty serious, pretty big things.
Says Dr Adrian Barnett, a senior research fellow at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.
The studies however did not take into the account of lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking and diet of the study participants.
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Via:ABC