DO YOU HAVE A YOUNGER SISTER?
Well a 2009 study shows that the older sisters especially if the younger one is a sister too, are highly susceptible to being overweight. Strange isn't is? We were shocked to read it too!
WHAT THE STUDY REVEALED?
There was a study done on 13,406 pairs of Swedish sisters born between 1991 and 2009. This study deduced that the first-borns have a greater body mass index (BMI) and are more likely to be overweight or obese. According to the study, older sisters were slightly lighter than their younger sisters at birth but when they grew up and expected children themselves, they had a 2.4% higher BMI.
PERCENTAGES!
While the older sibling may have been leaner early on in life, things change the moment they start expecting their own kids. The study found that sisters who were born earlier are 29% more likely to be overweight than their younger sisters. They are also 40% more likely to be obese.
REASONS FOR THE THEORY!
Many reasons were cited for the theory. One such theory is scientific, whereby a Professor Wayne Cutfield from the Liggins Institute at the University of Auckland says that the blood vessels that supply nutrients to the fetus seem to be slightly thinner in cases of first pregnancies. As a result, there is a possible reduction of nutrient supply, causing the individual to be at risk of storing more fat and having insulin that works less effectively later in life.
OVERFEEDING YOUR FIRST BORN!
First time mothers usually tend to over feed their first born babies, thus cultivating a dietary pattern for these kids in the future.
SOCIAL THEORY!
Gary Sacks of Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia who thinks that it would be interesting to examine possible social causes and states that since the first born is exposed to more money and facilities than the second born child, and of course more love, the body weight issues are one of the many the child ends up dealing with!
