A study published in the BMJ has linked poor growth in the first 3 months (the first trimester) of pregnancy with poor heart health later in life.
The rate of human development is highest during the first trimester of pregnancy, and this is when the cardiovascular and metabolic organs form.
The growth of the fetus in this time is influenced by many factors, including the age of the mother and whether she smokes, ethnicity and blood pressure. Various health problems can be indicated by the size of a fetus during its first trimester.
Although studies have previously found a link between low birth weight and risk of heart problems, researchers have not known until now whether there is a link between small size in the first trimester and heart disease later in life.
Risk factors for heart disease
Researchers in the Netherlands studied 1,184 children, dividing them into groups based on the size they had been during the first trimester of pregnancy.
At the age of 6, the children were examined for risk factors for heart disease. This involved checking the body mass index (BMI), body fat distribution, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and insulin concentrations of the children.
No comments:
Post a Comment