Early Weight Gain Ups Adult Hypertension
Sept. 2, 2008 -- Rapid weight gain during the first few months of life may increase high blood pressure risk in adulthood, a new study shows.
The research adds to the mounting evidence suggesting a role for prenatal and early life growth in many chronic conditions of adulthood, including obesity and heart disease.
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Several previous studies have linked low birth weight to a greater likelihood for developing high blood pressure later in life.
But the new study is one of the first to link rapid growth among infants and young children to high blood pressure in adults, independent of birth weight.
The study appears in the October issue of the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
"Rapid growth, especially during the first five months of live, was associated with small increases in blood pressure that were probably not due to chance," researcher Yoav Ben-Shlomo, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.
To better understand early-life influences on adult blood pressure, Ben-Shlomo and colleagues from the University of Bristol in England analyzed data from a growth study involving adults born in two small towns in South Wales between 1972 and 1974.
Growth measurements were recorded 14 times between birth and age 5, and adult blood pressure was assessed through screening when the participants were in their mid-20s.
The data suggested that more rapid weight gain between birth and 5 months and again between roughly 2 and 5 years of age was associated with a greater risk of higher systolic blood pressure in early adulthood.
Rapid growth in the first few months of life, but not later, was linked to higher diastolic blood pressure. The systolic pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading. The diastolic pressure is the bottom number.
This association remained even when the researchers adjusted for known influences on blood pressure, including smoking and obesity.
"This study shows that both birth weight and the immediate postnatal period may be important in determining both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure and, hence, the future risk of ... hypertension," Ben-Shlomo and colleagues write.
The research adds to the mounting evidence suggesting a role for prenatal and early life growth in many chronic conditions of adulthood, including obesity and heart disease.
Heart Health Videos
Video: CholesterolGuidelines
Video: Young Peopleand Heart Disease
Video: PredictingHeart Disease
All Heart-RelatedVideos
Related Slideshows
Related to heart health
coronary artery disease, angina, atherosclerosis, clogged arteries, cardiovascular disease, chest pain, heart attack, heart disease, myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, angiogram, angioplasty, anger and heart disease , aspirin therapy, stents, EKG
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rightsreserved.
Several previous studies have linked low birth weight to a greater likelihood for developing high blood pressure later in life.
But the new study is one of the first to link rapid growth among infants and young children to high blood pressure in adults, independent of birth weight.
The study appears in the October issue of the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
"Rapid growth, especially during the first five months of live, was associated with small increases in blood pressure that were probably not due to chance," researcher Yoav Ben-Shlomo, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.
Early Growth and Blood Pressure
To better understand early-life influences on adult blood pressure, Ben-Shlomo and colleagues from the University of Bristol in England analyzed data from a growth study involving adults born in two small towns in South Wales between 1972 and 1974.
Growth measurements were recorded 14 times between birth and age 5, and adult blood pressure was assessed through screening when the participants were in their mid-20s.
The data suggested that more rapid weight gain between birth and 5 months and again between roughly 2 and 5 years of age was associated with a greater risk of higher systolic blood pressure in early adulthood.
Rapid growth in the first few months of life, but not later, was linked to higher diastolic blood pressure. The systolic pressure is the top number in a blood pressure reading. The diastolic pressure is the bottom number.
This association remained even when the researchers adjusted for known influences on blood pressure, including smoking and obesity.
"This study shows that both birth weight and the immediate postnatal period may be important in determining both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure and, hence, the future risk of ... hypertension," Ben-Shlomo and colleagues write.
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