More evidence that it's tough being broke
Poor Babies Born in Cold Weather Face Health Problems
By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 11 (HealthDayNews) -- Cold weather at birth is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, heart problems and poor lung function if the baby is born into a low-income family, a new British study finds.
The study of more than 4,000 women now in their 60s and 70s discovered that those born in the coldest months were more likely to develop coronary heart disease, breathing problems, high cholesterol levels and insulin resistance, says a report in the April issue of Heart by researchers at the University of Bristol.
The association between temperature at birth and later health problems was strongest for babies whose fathers were either unemployed or manual laborers and "was nonexistent in those from nonmanual social classes in childhood," the report says.
Clearly, "those most likely to have fewer resources and a lower standard of living were most likely to be affected by the cold," says Dr. Richard Mitchell, a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh Medical School and a member of the study team.
"Our study suggests that resources, in terms of things like housing quality and clothing, are an important buffer," Mitchell says. "Where resources are adequate for the environment, the environment poses no threat. When they're not so good, the environment gets a chance to affect the body much more."
In cold numbers, women born in the three most frigid months of the year were 24 percent more likely to have coronary heart disease later in life, the researchers say.
Weather is far from the whole story, Mitchell says, since "it's reasonable to assume that diet and lifestyle are more important."
