Firstborn Girls Overweight: Other Siblings At A Lower Risk

Besides being counted on to lead the way as the eldest sibling, a new study conducted by a team of New Zealand researchers suggests that there may be another disadvantage to coming first. Study authors found that the first child may be at risk for being slightly more overweight or obese than those coming in the future. 

In this recent study, researchers analyzed data from the Swedish Birth Register, focusing on the time period between 1991 and 2009. They analyzed data on 13,406 pairs of sisters, compiling of a total of around 29,000 women.

Findings suggested that while the firstborn girls were slightly lighter than second siblings, they actually were heavier, particularly when expecting children themselves at a 2.4 percent higher body mass index than their sisters. The firstborns were also more likely to be overweight and obese than second borns.

Previous studies have also suggested that this issue may affect men in some ways as well. Firstborn males seemed to be at a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

However, researchers said that the study provides no definite conclusions at this time.

Dr. Maria Peña, Director of the Center for Weight Management at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told CBS News that environmental factors could also play a role.

"In many cultures, moms are more meticulous with their firstborns. With the very firstborn, everyone's helping out and over-feeding the baby, making sure it's at a 'healthy weight.' But with second children, parents know what to expect and they're not so overprotective so maybe they feed them a little less," she said. "People that develop obesity later on in life forget to listen to the signal in their brain that tells them to stop eating. Early on in life, some kids are taught to override that signal. If a parent tells a child to keep eating even when they're not hungry, then that's a habit they learn."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Related Articles

Sports And Injury: Teen Girls Suffer From Higher Rates Of 'Overuse' Injuries

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).