Low birth weight risk

1997/04/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

When analyzing the origin of heart disease, poor working conditions, stress, tobacco, etc. are taken into account. However, as we have recently known, one of the most important risk factors is low birth weight.

Epidemiologist David Barker of the University of Southampton has published a controversial theory on infarction. Barker and his team begin to investigate in the late 1980s and soon realize that malnutrition affects the physiology of the fetus.

Another team has been investigating for 10 years with 1,200 men from Caerphilly (Wales). The results show that heart disease is more common among those born with low weight. But according to the study of this group, the people most at risk for heart attack are those who are obese after being born too small and growing up.

Barker conducted similar research in southern India and the results were the same. Heart disease is more likely for those at birth who weigh less than 2.5 kilos, while those who weigh more than 3.1 kilos have better health in old age.