New research suggests that birth weight may be affected by warming temperatures on the planet, The Business Standard reported.

Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Harvard University have found that exposure to warm temperature during pregnancy increased the risk of lower birth weight and cause preterm birth.

"An increase of [47.3 degrees Fahrenheit] in the last trimester of average exposure was associated with a 17g decrease in birth weight of babies born full term after adjusting for other potential risk factors," Dr. Itai Kloog said in a statement.

For the study, researchers developed a "high resolution air temperature estimation model" technique that measures the correlation between air temperature and birth weight. They evaluated the relationship between birth outcomes (focusing on birth weight) and ambient air temperature during pregnancy in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2008.

"With the increase in temperatures over the last century and continued emissions from greenhouse gases, more attention is being focused on effects from heat," Kloog said.

A previous study has found that being exposed to high levels of pollution can adversely affect fetal growth and development. Women who were pregnant during the 2008 Beijing Olympics when pollution levels were reduced by the Chinese government gave birth to children with higher birth weights compared to those who were pregnant before and after the games.

The findings are detailed in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.