Bad influence

 
Published: Monday 15 September 1997

Women can help prevent deterioration of their child's intelligence in later years by avoiding toxins and leading a healthy life during pregnancy. The environment of the womb plays a crucial role in deciding a child's intelligence quotient (IQ), according to a team of researchers led by Bernard Devlin at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The study quashes the idea that genes determine intelligence more than the environment does. This is the first time that research has shown a significant link between a mother's lifestyle and the IQ of an unborn child.

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