How having a younger sibling really CAN raise your blood pressure

If you think your child is over- egging it when they moan about a little brother or sister winding them up, perhaps you should show a little more understanding. Scientists have found that older children suffer higher blood pressure when they have a younger sibling. Having a younger brother can raise blood pressure by 3 to 5.9 per cent, while a younger sister can result in a blood pressure increase of 3.8 per cent.

Happy families: New research shows children with a younger brother suffer from raised blood pressure up to 5.9 per cent higher than their peers with no younger brothers

US researchers studied blood pressure rates among 374 adults from nearly 200 families living in Amazonian villages in Bolivia. They found that ‘sibling configuration, including birth order, the number, age, and sex of siblings is associated with parental resource allocation between children and is thus associated with a person’s well-being. 'In a large family, the number of younger brothers may exert an impact on an individual’s blood pressure’. Study co-author Wu Zeng, from Brandeis University, Massachusetts, said: ‘Children see the arrival of a younger sibling as stressful because the newborn competes for parental attention. 'In addition, more younger siblings might increase the workload of older sisters.’

 

Blessed relief: As a person gets older, the effect younger siblings has on their blood pressure fades

But as a person gets older, the effect on their blood pressure from younger siblings decreases, said the study published in Economics and Human Biology. Higher blood pressure is associated with an increased of heart attack and cardiovascular disease. The research is published in the science journal Economics and Human Biology.

 Source: Daily Mail UK  

Please share