Born in a Cold Climate, Heart Disease Later

In a study of older women, a cold outdoor temperature at the time they were born was associated with an increased risk of heart disease later in life.

In a study of older women, a cold outdoor temperature at the time they were born was associated with an increased risk of heart disease later in life. The findings, which are reported in the medical journal Heart, stem from a study of 4286 women, between 60 and 79 years of age, who were randomly selected from general physician lists in 23 British towns. The women were asked about their location of birth and whether this was also their current residence. Archive weather data were then analyzed to determine the outdoor temperature at the time of birth. Women born during the coldest temperatures were 24 percent more likely than other women to develop heart disease, lead author Dr. D. A. Lawlor, from the University of Bristol in the UK, and colleagues note. In addition, cold temperatures at birth were linked to insulin problems, high triglyceride levels, and decreased lung function. Even after accounting for a variety of known heart disease risk factors, cold temperature at birth was still tied to an increased risk of heart disease. However, further analysis revealed that the association was not present in subjects from a non-manual social class during childhood. “Our findings have some consistency with the theory that exposure to cold temperatures around the time of birth leads to increased fat storage and insulin resistance, and thence to coronary heart disease in later life,” the researchers note. Further studies are needed to determine whether the observed findings reflect “events occurring late in the third trimester of (pregnancy) or early in the postnatal period,” they add. (Source: Heart: Reuters Health: MedLine Plus: March 2004)