New research suggests that cigarette exposure in the womb combined with a high-fat diet in adulthood may lead to worse metabolic health markers.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways:
- Maternal Smoking Impact: In utero cigarette exposure may affect liver and fat tissue, potentially contributing to obesity and fatty liver disease later in life.
- Dietary Synergy: The combination of prenatal smoke exposure and a high-fat, high-sugar diet in adulthood led to significantly worse markers of metabolic health than either factor alone in animal models.
- Clinical Monitoring: Individuals with prenatal cigarette exposure may benefit from regular testing for high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids to manage their increased risk of metabolic disease.
People whose mothers smoked during pregnancy may face a higher risk of metabolic disease in adulthood, especially when consuming a diet high in fat and sugar, according to research presented at the 2026 American Physiology Summit in Minneapolis.
The study, conducted in mice, found that the combination of maternal smoking and a Western-style diet in adulthood resulted in worse markers of metabolic health, including higher body fat and cholesterol, than either factor independently. These findings suggest that in utero cigarette exposure alters liver and fat tissue in ways that could lead to obesity, fatty liver disease, and other healthcare complications.
“Those affected by maternal smoking should watch their diet like most people, as well as have a dialogue with their primary care physician about testing for signs of the development of metabolic disease (high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood lipids),” said Isaiah Burciaga, MS, a phd candidate at the University of Louisville and the study’s first author, in a news release.
To model the effects of a typical American diet, researchers exposed one group of mice to smoke from a pack of cigarettes for three hours daily during pregnancy, while a control group had no smoke exposure. When the offspring reached 15 weeks of age, equivalent to young adulthood in humans, half of each group received a low-fat diet and the other half received a high-fat, high-sugar diet.
After five weeks, male mice exposed to both prenatal smoke and the high-fat diet had significantly more body fat and a worse lipid profile than any other group. Mice with no smoke exposure and a low-fat diet showed the healthiest metabolic profiles, while those with only one risk factor—either prenatal smoke or the high-fat diet—showed intermediate levels of metabolic markers.
The researchers noted that female offspring might show similar outcomes if the dietary portion of the study lasted longer than five weeks, as female mice often take longer to respond to dietary interventions. The team also plans to present specific gene and protein pathways that may drive these observed patterns.
The American Physiological Society (APS) hosted the summit where the research was presented. Physiology provides the foundation for medical advancements, and the APS connects a global community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators to advance scientific discovery and improve health.
