title: Intrauterine exposure to cigarette smoke is associated with increased ghrelin concentrations in adulthood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin is a fundamental regulator of human energy metabolism. A series of studies support the notion that long-term appetite and weight regulation may be already programmed in early life and it could be demonstrated that the intrauterine environment affects the ghrelin system of the offspring. Animal studies have also shown that intrauterine programming of orexigenic systems persists even until adolescence/adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  We hypothesized that plasma ghrelin concentrations in adulthood may be associated with the intrauterine exposure to cigarette smoke. We examined this hypothesis in a sample of 19-year-olds followed up since birth in the framework of the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk, an ongoing epidemiological cohort study of the long-term outcome of early risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As a main finding, we found that ghrelin plasma concentrations in young adults who had been exposed to cigarette smoke in utero were significantly higher than in those without prenatal smoke exposure. Moreover, individuals with intrauterine nicotine exposure showed a significantly higher prevalence of own smoking habits and lower educational status compared to those in the group without exposure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Smoking during pregnancy may be considered as an adverse intrauterine influence that may alter the endocrine-metabolic status of the offspring even until early adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paslakis
authors.forename: Arlette F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Buchmann
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Westphal
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banaschewski
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hohm
authors.forename: Ulrich S
authors.initials: US
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laucht
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deuschle
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008660:Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D009538:Nicotine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D054439:Ghrelin; D009538:Nicotine