Birthweight, height can predict infant's future health

One’s future health can be predicted as early as they are born! A new study highlighted that an infant’s birth weight and height together can help in telling doctors if the baby is born with a heightened risk of heart issues later in life.

Birth weight, tells about the fetal growth, while height gives a more complete picture of both fetal growth and growth trajectory, said a neonatologist.

Measures called ponderal index, or PI, as well as the more widely used body mass index, or BMI, which both account for height and weight, are known to provide a more accurate indication of fetal growth and what’s ahead for the child. The findings of the study indicated that a low PI or low BMI at birth should be considered as a risk that needs attention and intervention.

“When you look at birth weight alone, you are looking at a measure at a single point in time, which is a big problem when it comes to projecting out,” said the Dr. It’s known that perinatal growth which is affected by numerous factors from genetics to environmental ones like the mother’s health and habits like smoking, nutrition, and gestational diabetes, has important implications for heart development, and animal and human studies have associated low birth weight with heart problems and death.

For this study, they looked at 379 healthy black and white adolescents aged between14-18. Parents provided their children’s birth weight and length, which were used by investigators to calculate a BMI and PI.

The group showed that a low PI, where increases in height and weight are out of sync during development, was most associated with an increase in the size of the major pumping chamber of the heart, the left ventricle, which is considered a risk for future cardiovascular disease.

Two-dimensional echo-cardiography was used to non-invasively look at the children’s left ventricle for telltale indicators of hypertrophy like thickening of the walls and less blood being pumped out.

Then they studied the relationships between birth weight and birth BMI and PI and the structure and function of the left ventricle in the children.

The Dr. noted that at the time of this study, about 25 per cent of the adolescents had obesity or were overweight and most were on an upward trajectory with their BMI, which is not good.

Children with an upward trajectory had about a 30% likelihood they would become obese compared to those with a downward trajectory, who showed a 5% likelihood. There was also about a 40 per cent increase in visceral adiposity, fat around the belly and the organs inside the abdominal cavity, which is considered particularly unhealthy in adolescents with the upward versus downward BMI trajectory.

This study found that a low PI had the highest association with risk factors for heart problems, but the more widely used BMI is also a good tool, researchers noted. “We believe our findings are a call to paediatricians to be even more diligent in measuring and noting birth weight and length parameters,” the Dr. pointed.

This very early measure of height and weight can provide lifelong insight into an individual’s risk of heart and other diseases, he added.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                    

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7 Things You Didn’t Know Children Inherit Only from Their Fathers

It is but natural for us to inherit features from our parents. But certain genes are more dominant than the others, which plays a crucial role about which parent we look like. 

Ever heard the phrase ‘you have your father’s eyes?’ Or ‘your son looks so much like you?’
Other than physical looks, there is a multitude of things that kids can gain from their paternal side. A father’s genes can determine what a child will inherit, from sure looks to diseases familiar to the family.

1. Heart Problems

All fathers carry a gene that can be passed on to their male children, which can increase their risk of a heart attack by a whopping 50%. This specific gene prevents the controlling of inflammation in the body, meaning that it’s much more common for arteries to clog and block blood flow to the heart.

A naturopathic doctor who specializes in guiding patients to a healthy lifestyle, performed a backup study, which discovered that men who carry the haplogroup I Y chromosome are fifty percent more likely to have heart disease, and therefore pass this disposition on to their sons.
This is in comparison to haplogroup R1b1b2 – those carrying this gene don’t have an increased risk of heart disease.

2. Height

With over 700 gene sequences at play to determine a child’s height, it might be easier just to say that both the man and woman have a part in how tall their kid will be. These gene variants can make a significant difference; it can affect height by an entire inch, which is primary when you consider how much that can add or subtract from your height.
Sometimes, a rare variant in the gene sequence can drastically affect the child, swaying them towards their father’s height rather than their mother’s or a mix of the too. In this way, the man may have a slight effect on their child’s height.

3. Mental Health Problems

It is common knowledge that mental health issues may run in the family, but if you have an older father than most, you may be more predisposed to have specific mental health complaints. Commonly, older men with schizophrenia or ADHD are more likely to pass their issue to their children, due to changes in their DNA as they age.

Older men are four times more likely, therefore, to pass on mental health problems, as their sperm will contain their new and mutated DNA, leading to the possibility of more complex issues.
Why don’t mothers’ DNA change with age? The answer is, they do. The difference is that women’s eggs are with them from birth, and therefore don’t change. While men’s sperm is produced all the time, a woman has limited eggs, and they don’t alter much.

However, older women are more likely to birth children with autism, and rare issues with genetics.

4. Dental Complaints

If a father has a lot of issues with his teeth, it’s highly likely that his children will suffer the same. Everything to do with the mouth is down to genetics, including jaw and teeth size and shape.
Women can also pass down their teeth and jaw issues. However, men’s genes tend to be more dominant when it comes to dental health due to the gene affecting it being more active. If your father needed braces or suffered from extra wisdom, you’re likely to as well.

5. 

Eye Color is a difficult one, since both the mother and father play roles in determining their child’s eye color. However, there are several indicators that the man may be more likely to decide the child’s eye shade.

It is much more common for children to have dark eyes since it is the dominant gene. For a child to have light eyes is less frequent because it’s a recessive gene, and it requires influence from both sides of the family.

However, a dominant dark-eyed gene will win over the recessive gene in most instances. This means that if the father has dark colored eyes, it’s likely their child will also. Of course, this could just as quickly be the influence of the mother, but they tend to have equal input in the eye color lottery.

6. Infertility

If a man is infertile, there are ways of getting around it. Men can take part in vitro fertilization to allow them to father a child, but if they do, they may still be making their sons more likely to be infertile.
In a study, it was found that men who had been conceived through IVF treatment had a lower sperm count than those who had been conceived naturally.
This suggests that the fathers are passing on the fertilization issues to their children. Though the results aren’t entirely conclusive, it does show that it’s likely a father’s fertility problems can be handed down.

7. Gender

The father always determines the sex of the baby. Since men are in possession of both an X and a Y chromosome – women only have X’s – it depends whether both the X and Y chromosome are passed on. Men’s sperm carries just an X or a Y chromosome at a time, meaning that the sex depends on the dominant sperm.
It’s also thought that a man’s family tree can be used to gather information on whether their child will be a boy or a girl. Though it is only a guess, the guess is based on fact and often exhibits a pattern in genetic history.
Though nothing further is yet known, researchers are looking into an unknown gene that could be influencing how many X and Y chromosomes a man has in his sperm, which could make a particular gender more likely in each family.

If you have any concerns about your child’s genetic future, it might be worth consulting with a genetic counselor. They can help you determine if your child might be at risk of anything serious. This action can be performed if you have concerns about a child already born, or if you’re planning a pregnancy.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                     https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Body size may influence women's lifespan more than men's

A new study has claimed that body size -- height and weight -- of women influence their lifespan far more that it does that of men.  The findings indicate that while physical activity is linked to longevity in both sexes, the more time men spend being physically active add to their chances of reaching old age, while 60 minutes a day was associated with the best chance for women for longevity.

The study also finds that while average life expectancy has risen over the past few decades, it has recently started to plateau in some developed nations, with increasing levels of obesity and physical inactivity thought to be behind the trend.

While previous research has looked at the associations between weight (BMI), physical activity, and reaching old age, most combined both sexes or focused only on men. However, women and men's lifespan differ, which may be influenced by factors like hormones, genes and or lifestyle. To explore these differences further, the researchers analysed data from the Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS), which included more than 1,20,000 men and women aged between 55 and 69 when it began in 1986.

The researchers wanted to see if there were any links between height, weight, leisure time physical activity and the likelihood of reaching the age of 90. They also wanted to see if there were any differences between men and women.

The study saw 3,646 men and 4,161 women between the ages of 68 and 70 providing detailed information in 1986 regarding their current weight and height when they were 20, and their leisure time physical activity.

The activities included gardening, dog walking, DIY (home improvements), walking or cycling to work, and recreational sports, which were grouped into categories of daily quotas: less than 30 minutes; 30 to 60 minutes, and 90 minutes or more.

Participants were then monitored until death or the age of 90, whichever came first. Researchers considered potentially influential factors, such as whether the participants were current or former smokers, their drinking capacity, educational qualifications and energy intake.

Some 433 men (16.7 per cent) and 944 women (34.4 per cent) survived to the age of 90. The study found that women who were still alive by the age of 90 were, on average taller, had weighed less at the start of the study, and had put on less weight since the age of 20 than those who were shorter and heavier.

The study also found that women, who were more than 5 feet 9 inches tall, were 31 per cent more likely to reach than women who were less than 5 feet 3 inches in height. However, no such associations were seen among the men.

When it came to physical activity, men who were active for over 90 minutes a day were 39 per cent more likely to reach 90 than those who did less than 30 minutes and every extra 30 minutes of daily physical activity they were involved in was associated with a 5 per cent increase in their chances of turning 90.

However, the study found that this was not the case for women. Those who were active for more than 30-60 minutes a day were 21 per cent more likely to reach 90 than those managing 30 minutes or less.

Notably, there seemed to be an optimal threshold for women, with 60 minutes of activity being associated with the best chance of their celebrating a 90th birthday.

The study researchers, however, said that it is an observational study and therefore can't establish cause. Furthermore, body size and physical activity were volunteered rather than objectively measured, which might have affected the results.

The researchers point out that the findings are based on a large number of people of similar age, which strengthens the results. They add that their study is one of only a few to differentiate lifestyle factors potentially associated with long life between men and women. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       
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Here's How Father's Vitamin D Intake Can Affect the Child's Height

We know that a woman's diet has a direct impact on her pregnancy and the health and development of the child. But what we often tend to miss that the father's health also plays an important role.
According to a new study, women's health may not be the only factor in ensuring the growth and development of the child. A new research which has been presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Portugal has found a strong link between a father's Vitamin D intake and the child's height and weight at age five.

It has been established that the mother's vitamin D intake before pregnancy plays an important role in the newborn's musculoskeletal and overall health but this time around scientists diverted their attention to asses if the father's vitamin D before conception intake can affect the child in any way and they came up with some significant results.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient also known as the sunshine vitamin. It is produced in the body when the sun’s ultra violet rays come in contact with your skin. The most important function of Vitamin D is that it regulates the amount of calcium and phosphorous in the body – both are elements that are vital for strong bones, teeth and also to keep your muscles healthy. The British Dietetics Association recommends about 15 minutes of sun exposure at least thrice a week and between 11 A.M to 3 P.M when the rays are the strongest to get your dose of Vitamin D.


Researchers from the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science at the University College in Ireland analysed the Lifeways Cross-Generation Cohort Study and found a link between a father's vitamin D intake reported during the first pre-natal trimester and the height and weight of children at age five among 213 father-child pairs. However, their findings did not show any association between a mother's Vitamin D intake during the first and second trimester and children's weight.

The researchers also noted that three or more hours of playing outdoors over weekends was related to increased height at five years of age which further solidifies that fact that sunlight is essential for the production of Vitamin D which further helps in growth and development of the child. 

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