Mother's body size and placental size predict coronary heart disease in men
Open accessAbstract
AIMS: People whose birthweights were towards the lower end of the normal range are at increased risk of coronary heart disease. This is attributed to foetal programming through malnutrition, but the cause of the malnutrition is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 6975 men born in Helsinki during 1934-44. Their size at birth was recorded. Babies who later developed coronary heart disease tended to have a low ponderal index (birthweight/length(3)). Three different placental phenotypes predicted the disease. In primiparous mothers who were short, having below median height, the hazard ratio for the disease was 1.14 (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.21, P< 0.0001) for each centimetre increase in the difference between the length and breadth of the placental surface. In tall mothers whose body mass index was above the median, the hazard ratio was 1.25 (1.10-1.42, P= 0.0007) per 40 cm(2) decrease in the surface area. In tall mothers whose body mass index was below the median, the hazard ratio was 1.07 (1.02-1.13, P= 0.01) per 1% increase in the placental weight/birthweight ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Three different combinations of maternal and placental size predicted coronary heart disease. The mother's body size determines the availability of nutrients and is linked to the development and function of the placenta, reflected in its shape and size. We speculate that variations in three processes of normal placental development lead to foetal malnutrition. The processes are (i) implantation and spiral artery invasion, (ii) growth of the chorionic surface, and (iii) compensatory expansion of the chorionic surface.
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A study of 6975 men in the Helsinki Birth Cohort found that three different placental phenotypes were associated with disease of the coronary arteries.
“A study of 6975 men in the Helsinki Birth Cohort found that three different placental phenotypes were associated with disease of the coronary arteries (175).”
From Placental Origins of Chronic Disease (2016) · cites this paper as [175]
The placenta is a more powerful driver of coronary heart disease in men than in women.
“However, the finding that the placenta is a more powerful driver of coronary heart disease in men (182) than in women (175) is a recent discovery.”
From Placental Origins of Chronic Disease (2016) · cites this paper as [175]
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- Authors
- Eriksson, J. G., Kajantie, E., Thornburg, K. L., Osmond, C., & Barker, D. J. P.
- Affiliations
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- Helsinki University Hospital (FI)
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Southampton General Hospital (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Barker, D. J. P.
- Venue
- European Heart Journal
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2011-06-01
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 2297-2303
- ISSN
- 0195-668X (ISSN-L)
- 1522-9645
- PMC
- PMC3697804
- OpenAlex
- W2156249419
- Cited by
- 125
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 20
- FWCI
- 13.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- europepmc.org
- Locations
- European Heart Journal (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
- STM:n Hallinnonalan avoin julkaisuarkisto (Julkari) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- British Heart Foundation
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG032339)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
- Keywords
- coronary artery disease, birth weight, maternal body size, placental size, fetal programming, ponderal index, placental surface area, maternal height, maternal body mass index, spiral artery invasion, implantation, men
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Birth Weight, Body Height, Coronary Disease, Female, Humans, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Newborn, Male, Mothers, Organ Size, Placenta, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Risk Factors, Social Class, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index, Proportional Hazards Models, Fetal Development, Body Size
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