Interesting New Studies

A new study finds that women who smoke are more likely to give birth to female babies. Usually women give birth to more boys than girls, about 52 % of newborns are male. Women who smoke during pregnancy, however, are 1/3 less likely to give birth to boys than nonsmokers, and the odds of having a boy are cut in half if the father also smokes.
findings presented at a meeting of the Royal Academy of Pediatrics and Child Health

Maternal Smoking Causes Blood-Pressure Rise Among Babies
Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with an average systolic blood-pressure reading of 5.4 points higher than babies born to moms that didn't smoke during pregnancy and aren't exposed to second hand smoke. Diastolic blood pressure was not affected.
study appeared in the July 2007 issue of the journal Hypertension

Tiny Hearts Hurt by Secondhand Smoke
Children ages 2-14, who are exposed to secondhand smoke show signs of cardiovascular injury, meaning they may be at increased risk of heart disease. "Toddlers are smokers by default", said the studies co-author John Bauer, and "tended to have the greatest levels of nicotine exposure and have greater indicators of cardiovascular risk". Forty percent of toddlers in the study had nicotine content that in adults would suggest that they were active smokers"
findings were presented at the American Heart Associations Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention meeting, March 2008

Women Should Time Quitting Smoking with Menstrual Cycle
Women who try to quit smoking during the time from the end of their period to when they ovulate are 40% more likely to stay quit while those who try during the other half of their cycle are 20% more likely to to stay quit after 30 days. The study was published in the May 2008 issue of the journal Addiction.