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Bigger
Babies May Mean
Bigger Brains Later in Life
NEW YORK (Reuters
Health) - The heavier a baby is at birth, the bigger the brain
power later in life, new research suggests. UK scientists say
birth weight may have lasting effects on mental performance, influencing
test scores and even educational achievements all the way to early
adulthood.
In a study
that followed 3,900 men and women born in 1946, investigators
found that even among people born within normal weight range,
bigger was better in terms of mental test scores during childhood,
adolescence and young adulthood. Low birth weight--less than about
5.5 pounds--has been linked to delayed cognitive development,
but little is known about the effect of birth weight in the normal
range.
The findings
are published in the January 27th issue of the British Medical
Journal. Dr. Marcus Richards of the University College London
led the study.
Richards and
colleagues looked at the study participants' scores on tests of
vocabulary, math and other skills at the ages of 8, 11, 15, 26
and 43. They also considered the participants' level of education
by age 26. The researchers found that up until the age of 26,
higher birth weight was related to better test scores. At age
43, birth weight was no longer important.
The link between
birth weight and test performance held even when the researchers
looked at factors such as parents' social class and education.
In addition, Richards and colleagues found that individuals with
higher birth weights also achieved higher educational or training
levels.
These findings
support earlier research suggesting that birth weight affects
cognitive development, regardless of ''social background,'' the
authors write. The reasons for the connection are unclear, but
the research team notes that birth weight is strongly related
to head circumference at birth and, thus, brain size.
In addition,
they write, birth weight is associated with certain growth factors
that may influence the development of the central nervous system
and cognitive ability.
SOURCE:
British Medical Journal 2001;322:199-203.
Reference
Source 89
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