Another thoughtful article from LA Times

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-fetal12nov12,0,2140947.story?coll=la-home-middleright

snip

What women eat, touch and breathe during pregnancy now appears to be more important to their babies' health than anyone ever imagined. Mounting scientific evidence suggests that fetuses are surprisingly susceptible to outside influences, such as food, environmental chemicals and pollutants, infections, even stress. Under this theory -- called fetal programming -- babies are born not just with traits dictated by their parents' genes, such as brown eyes and olive skin. They may be born with a tendency to develop asthma, diabetes or other illnesses based on what their mothers ate and were exposed to during pregnancy.

Already known were the obvious, and serious, risks posed by smoking, drinking and drug use. Now researchers are homing in on subtler changes in the fetal environment that can influence a child's health even into adulthood. In one of the most widely relevant examples, given the nation's growing waist size, research has shown that pregnant women with diets high in fat and sugar give birth to children who are more likely to become obese, perhaps because their fat cells are "programmed" in utero for later obesity.In short, the daily experiences of a pregnant woman may be far from benign.

"Fetal life and early infancy are now recognized as periods of remarkable susceptibility to environmental hazards," says Dr. David Barker, a British researcher who is widely credited with recognizing the link between low birth weight and later cardiovascular disease. "The diets of mothers have massive long-term effects on their babies."

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Do read this even if you are not a parent, because this is a great introduction to the very complicated topic of why so many health issues are arising because of the stressful, poor nutrition and polluted environment.