According to research at UCSF in May of 2012, smoking during pregnancy adversely affects fetal lung development, but it can be prevented by vitamin C during the last trimester. A study on 159 smoking pregnant women revealed that just 500 mg/d of vitamin C before 22 weeks of gestation would raise their low vitamin C levels to normal and also improve pulmonary function tests to their offspring at 48 hours postpartum. They suggested that the incidence of asthma in these babies would be substantially lower.
Twelve percent of pregnant women smoke. We all know the effects of smoking on the risk for lung cancer, emphysema, heart attacks, strokes, renal insufficiency, and osteoporosis.
