Babies born during cold weather may be more likely to develop heart disease later in life, a study suggests.
Researchers from Bristol and Edinburgh studied 4,286 women between the ages of 60 and 79 from across Britain.
They found those born during cold snaps were more likely to have heart disease. Those born into working-class families appeared to be most at risk.
Writing in the journal Heart, they said the quality of housing may have been an important factor.
The researchers examined the medical records of all those who took part in the study.
They compared their place of birth with documented weather at the time. The women were also examined by a GP or nurse.
As well as high rates of heart disease, those born during cold weather were more likely to have high rates of cholesterol, insulin resistance and breathing problems.
Class variations
However, there were variations between the social classes.
"The association between cold temperature around the time of birth and coronary heart disease was most pronounced among those whose fathers were either unemployed or in manual social classes when the participants were children, and was non-existent in those from non-manual social classes in childhood," the researchers said.
"
It is an interesting observation, but one that needs much more study before any link can be proved
"
Dr Tim Bowker,
British Heart Foundation
They suggested that children exposed to the cold may be more likely to store fat, increasing their chances of developing heart disease later in life.
"Our findings have some consistency with the theory that exposure to cold temperatures around the time of birth leads to increased fat storage and insulin resistance and thence to coronary heart disease later in life," they said.
However, they said further research is needed to determine when babies were most at risk - before or after birth.
Nevertheless, they said the findings should have implications for housing in Britain.
"Current housing quality in Britain tends to be worse in areas of colder climate, and contemporary children born in cold climates who live in poor housing may be at increased risk of heart disease.
"It is impossible to change the climate in Britain, but it is possible to improve housing quality."
Better housing
Dr Richard Mitchell of the University of Edinburgh Medical School and one of the authors said action was needed to ensure everybody lived in good quality housing.
"People can't control the weather when they were born and few people would choose to live in poor quality housing.
"It is all about how society needs to change to tackle these differences."
Dr Tim Bowker, associate medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said other factors, such as smoking, play a greater role in determining who is at risk of heart disease.
"The possible association between low temperatures at birth and coronary heart disease risk is a new one that has, to my knowledge, not been studied before.
"It is an interesting observation, but one that needs much more study before any link can be proved.
"However, even if such a link is established, it is highly unlikely that low temperatures at birth could be considered a significant risk factor for CHD when compared to the well known risk factors such as smoking, low physical activity, unhealthy diet and high blood pressure."
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