Researchers at the Cambridge University have found that lack of oxygen available to the foetus can retard growth as well as damage the baby's cardiovascular, metabolic and endocrine systems.

According to the researchers, conditions such as pre-eclampsia in mothers often lead to depletion of oxygen in the womb.

"Our research shows that changes to the amount of oxygen available in the womb can have a profound influence on the development of the foetus in both the short and long term, and trigger an early origin of heart disease," lead author Dr Dino Giussani was quoted by the British media as saying.

In their study, the researchers looked at pregnancies at high altitude, where oxygen is restricted, and conducted tests on pregnant animals.

They found changes in the way the foetus grew when oxygen was restricted and crucial alterations in the way key systems in the body developed, thereby putting the baby at risk of heart disease in future.

"We can see in scans of the unborn child that walls of the heart ventricles are thicker, the aorta is thicker and the heart is bigger. There's certainly evidence that low oxygen reveals all the hallmarks of cardiovascular disease prior to birth," Dr Giussani said.

However, he said it was difficult to predict how much higher the risk of heart disease was for babies lacking oxygen in the womb. "We have not followed these babies into adulthood to see if they have cardiovascular disease.

"The adverse effects on the developing heart and circulation are due to oxidative stress. This gives us the opportunity to combat prenatal origins of heart disease by foetal exposure to antioxidant therapy," he said.

But Dr Giussani suggested that "giving antioxidants to the mothers-to-be who have pregnancies complicated by low oxygen could prevent damage" in their babies.