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Researchers find new loci linked to low birth weight, adult BP, diabetes
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Researchers from various countries have identified three of four loci which demonstrate a genetic link between fetal growth, postnatal growth and risk for type 2 diabetes. These findings were published in Nature Genetics.
“This large study adds to the evidence that genes have a strong influence on fetal growth,” associate director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Struan F. A. Grant, PhD, said in a press release. “The cumulative effect of the genes is surprisingly strong; it’s equivalent to the effect of maternal smoking, which is already recognized as lowering a baby’s weight at birth. We already know that a low birth weight increases the risk of health problems in adult life.”
In an expanded genome-wide association study (GWAS) of birth weight in up to 69,308 patients of European ancestry from 43 studies, Grant and colleagues wrote they have extended the number of loci associated with genome-wide significance to seven.
According to the researchers, five of the seven confirmed associations with birth weight consistent with GWAS data in adult traits (i.e. ADCY5 and CDKAL1 with type 2 diabetes; ADRB1 with BP; and HMGA2 and LCORL with height) indicated evidence to the biological pathways involved. “This study demonstrates that genes acting early in development have important effects on health both in childhood and beyond,” Grant said in the release.
Grant added that designing prenatal interventions is conducive to lifelong health benefits.
Disclosure:The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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