Birth weight link to high blood pressure

Published on Monday 18 May 2009 10:02

HIGH blood pressure may not be caused by lifestyle and diet, but by development in the womb, a study has found.

Researchers at Edinburgh University carried out work on elderly people which found those who had a low birth weight were more likely to have higher blood pressure levels.

The findings suggest that the body's system for regulating blood pressure is established prior to birth, and not caused purely by stress or obesity.

The university's Dr Rebecca Reynolds, who led the study which has been published in the journal Hypertension, said: "Our findings suggest that the mechanisms which set up how aldosterone (a hormone linked to blood pressure control] is regulated start in early life and this may have an impact on whether we have an increased risk of high blood pressure in later life.

"It is well known that factors such as stress, diet and obesity play a major role in whether we suffer from high blood pressure but this may suggest why certain people have higher blood pressure than others."