A new study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that vitamin C may be able to prevent some adverse effects of smoking while pregnant. Using a primate model, researchers found that taking a vitamin C supplement improve the pulmonary function tests of newborns from mothers who smoked when pregnant.

According to the Scientific American, smoking during pregnancy poses numerous dangers. Nicotine and other toxins can harm the lungs of a fetus and cause other lasting health problems or trigger preterm birth. More than 50 percent of smokers who become pregnant continue to smoke, which corresponds to 12 percent of all pregnancies.

The ideal solution for the health of the baby would be smoking cessation. Unfortunately, some mothers just refuse to quit. Vitamin C supplements would be an affordable way to mitigate some of the negative impacts to the baby of maternal smoking.

Medline Plus reports that vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development.  Vitamin C is utilized to form an important protein used to make skin, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels.  The body is not able to make vitamin C on its own, and it does not store vitamin C.  It is essential to incorporate sufficient amounts of vitamin C into a daily diet.

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C.  Fruits that are high in vitamin C include cantaloupe, citrus fruits, kiwi, mango, papaya, berries, watermelon, and pineapple.  Vegetables that are high in vitamin C include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green and red peppers, leafy greens, potatoes, tomatoes, and winter squash.