London, February 15 (IANS): Researchers have found that birth weight is associated with heart disease in adulthood due to risk genes shared by mothers and children.
Most studies to date show that people born small have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure and heart disease as adults.
The biological causes of this phenomenon have been debated for decades, but there is no conclusive research evidence. One common theory is that inadequate nutritional intake during pregnancy affects the metabolism of the developing fetus, making it more susceptible to cardiovascular disease during periods of overnutrition.
The findings, published in the journal Communications Biology, show that maternal genetic factors that influence a developing fetus’ growth have a birth weight-independent impact on the child’s subsequent risk of heart disease. Indicated.
However, these genes only contribute to disease risk if they are passed on to children, said researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland.
“Certain genes in the mother influence the state of the child’s development in the womb and, as a result, the child’s birth weight. The child inherits copies of these genes from the mother,” says Molecular Research. said Jaakko Leinonen, a postdoctoral researcher at the institute. Finnish Medicine (FIMM) at the University of Helsinki.
“Studying the effects of these birthweight genes on later disease in the child shows that small changes in the baby’s growth before birth by the mother are unlikely to have a large effect on the child’s risk of developing the disease. “In fact, it appears that a child’s own genes play a much more important role in determining future health risks,” Leinonen added.
The new research results were obtained by examining genetic data from more than 36,000 such mother-child pairs.
The researchers say the disparate results were partially due to previous genetic studies not being able to distinguish between maternal and child genetic influences.
“Our research method, which uses genetic data from both mother and child simultaneously, is extremely useful for examining how the mother’s health status and the baby’s condition in the womb influence the child’s health. “It has proven to be an effective method,” said study leader Dr Tal Tukiainen.
Further research is needed to elucidate how being born significantly underweight, or other significant changes in birth weight, affects disease risk in adulthood.
