Having a mother who smoked while pregnant and being born in the winter may affect how your lungs age.

A researcher in Norway has discovered three developmental factors that appear to influence the ageing of the lungs.

"Having a mother who smoked when she was pregnant with you will affect your lungs in a negative way. The same is the case if you were born during the winter months, or if you experienced a severe respiratory infection at a very young age," explained Prof Cecilie Svanes of the University of Bergen.

She studied people aged between 40 and 70 to determine whether conditions in early life affect how the lungs age and found that those exposed to these developmental factors experience a faster decline in lung function. This means that the ageing process is faster.

"It is logical that early life development also affects the systems that maintain our body and repair damage. If so, this could explain why some people do not tolerate exposure to certain toxics in later life. And that is actually what we found," Prof Svanes noted.

She believes that these findings could help to improve public health and the concept of prevention.

"If you get a 50 year-old to quit smoking, it is beneficial. If you get him/her to stop as a teenager, it is even better. But if the mother refrains from smoking before he/she is conceived, it might play an even bigger role for future overall health," Prof Svanes added.

Details of these findings are published in the scientific journal, PLOS ONE.