| Boys live dangerously in the womb. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19844898 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The growth of every human fetus is constrained by the limited capacity of the mother and placenta to deliver nutrients to it. At birth, boys tend to be longer than girls at any placental weight. Boy's placentas may therefore be more efficient than girls, but may have less reserve capacity. In the womb boys grow faster than girls and are therefore at greater risk of becoming undernourished. Fetal undernutrition leads to small size at birth and cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension, in later life. We studied 2003 men and women aged around 62 years who were born in Helsinki, Finland, of whom 644 had hypertension: we examined their body and placental size at birth. In both sexes, hypertension was associated with low birth weight. In men, hypertension was also associated with a long minor diameter of the placental surface. The dangerous growth strategy of boys may be compounded by the costs of compensatory placental enlargement in late gestation. In women, hypertension was associated with a small placental area, which may reduce nutrient delivery to the fetus. In men, hypertension was linked to the mothers' socioeconomic status, an indicator of their diets: in women it was linked to the mothers' heights, an indicator of their protein metabolism. Boys' greater dependence on their mothers' diets may enable them to capitalize on an improving food supply, but it makes them vulnerable to food shortages. The ultimate manifestation of their dangerous strategies may be that men have higher blood pressures and shorter lives than women. |
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Authors:
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Johan G Eriksson; Eero Kajantie; Clive Osmond; Kent Thornburg; David J P Barker |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council Volume: 22 ISSN: 1520-6300 ISO Abbreviation: Am. J. Hum. Biol. Publication Date: 2010 May-Jun |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-04-14 Completed Date: 2010-07-12 Revised Date: 2012-05-23 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 8915029 Medline TA: Am J Hum Biol Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 330-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care, University of Helsinki, Helsingin yliopisto, Finland. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Body Size
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physiology* Female Fetal Development / physiology* Humans Hypertension / epidemiology*, etiology, physiopathology Infant, Low Birth Weight / physiology Infant, Newborn Male Middle Aged Organ Size Placenta / anatomy & histology* Pregnancy Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena Risk Factors Sex Factors Socioeconomic Factors |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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P01 HD034430/HD/NICHD NIH HHS; P01 HD034430-11/HD/NICHD NIH HHS; R01 HL102763/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; R01 HL102763-01/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; R21 HL093617/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; R21 HL093617-01/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; T32 HL094294/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; T32 HL094294-01A1/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS; //British Heart Foundation |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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