MedWire News: Children who gain weight rapidly in the first 2 months of life face an increased risk of cardiovascular problems in later life, study results suggest.

"It appears there is a window early in life where programming for later cardiovascular disease can occur, and nutrition may play a significant role," said lead researcher Dr Marietta Charakida, from University College London in the UK.

Dr Charakida and team studied data on more than 6000 children who were monitored from birth until the age of 10 years.

The weight of each child was measured at regular intervals over the course of the monitoring period, and their blood pressure and artery stiffness - an indicator of early damage to the arteries - was measured at 10 years of age.

Analysis revealed that children who gained weight rapidly in the first 2 months of life had higher blood pressure and greater artery stiffness at 10 years of age than those with normal weight gain in early life.

The findings remained true after accounting for each child's gender, cholesterol profile, heart rate and body mass index, said the team.

Dr Charakida concluded: "This study provides evidence that accelerated weight gain in the first few weeks of life might have a detrimental effect on cardiovascular health.

"Thus, medical attention, and appropriate nutrition early in life might be necessary to reduce this risk."

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, Illinois, USA.