Molecules link lower weight babies and chronic diseases

Researchers have long sought to discover why babies who weigh less than expected at birth, a condition known as small for gestational age, or SGA, are at higher risk for heart, lung and metabolic diseases as adults.

Now, using blood samples collected over decades, a team led by University of Arizona researchers may have identified an explanation. The scientists found that a group of proteins involved in neuronal development was overrepresented in the umbilical cord blood of about one-third of babies born SGA. The researchers also found that higher levels of these proteins were associated with poorer lung function in adulthood.

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