Smoking during pregnancy associated with artery damage in children

"Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy had more damage to their arteries in young adulthood than offspring of non-smokers and the association was even stronger if both parents smoked, researchers reported in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers from The Netherlands found children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy had linings of carotid arteries in the neck that were 13.4 micrometers thicker by young adulthood than offspring whose mothers didn't smoke. The association - which in later life could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease - was present even after adjustment for known risk factors such as age, gender, body mass index and cholesterol levels." - AHA