Being the first born is linked to heart disease and diabetes

A New Zealand study finds that firstborn kids are more sensitive to insulin and have slightly higher blood pressure, which makes them the scapegoat for heart disease and diabetes in later years.

Eighty-five children, between ages 4 and 11, were selected by researchers who recorded their information such as height, weight, blood profiles, and blood sugar tests. Thirty-two of the children studied were first-borns, stated CBS News.

Initially, the study was performed to see if birth order was affiliated with differences in metabolism, explained the N.Y. Daily News.

Here are the results -

First-born children were generally taller and slimmer. However, these children showed a 21 percent drop in insulin sensitivity, and had an average blood pressure 4mmHg higher than those who weren’t born first.

Resistance to insulin can lead to a heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. High blood pressure can lead to kidney disease, heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.

“Although birth order alone is not a predictor of metabolic or cardiovascular disease, being the first-born child in a family can contribute to a person’s overall risk,” said study author Dr. Cutfield, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.