South Asian And Chinese Babies Are Smaller At Birth

[Cpl Kendall]

CBC.CA

Babies of South Asian and Chinese ancestry are smaller at birth than those of European ancestry, say B.C. researchers who suggest standardized growth charts aren't the best way to evaluate a newborn's health.

In fact, some parents of small babies may suffer unnecessary anxiety over their newborn's progress, says University of British Columbia perinatal epidemiologist Patricia Janssen.

"The baby might be subject to particular tests such as blood tests that are invasive and uncomfortable just to see if there was any metabolic derangements that contributed to that small birth weight," Janssen told CBC News.

"In fact the baby might be completely healthy and not need any of that."

In the study, published in Wednesday's edition of the peer-reviewed journal Open Medicine, Janssen and her colleagues examined nearly 2,700 babies born at between 37 and 41 weeks gestation to healthy mothers. None of the mothers used tobacco, alcohol or drugs.

Nearly 1,200 babies were born to parents of European descent, 975 to parents of Chinese descent and 525 to South Asian parents.
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The researchers found Chinese and South Asian babies were on average a little more than 225 grams smaller than babies of European ancestry. The average weight of a European baby born at 40 weeks was 3.66 kilograms.

They also found Chinese babies were "significantly" shorter than European babies — by 0.89 centimetres — and that South Asian babies were somewhere between the two. European babies born at 40 weeks were on average 50.5 centimetres.

Drawing on this research, Janssen has now created new fetal growth charts available to doctors across Canada.

Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, a family doctor in Halifax, says she's pleased to have access to the new information.

"It is extremely relevant to me that we actually look at sub-groupings of people in terms of how we define what is average," she told CBC News.

The B.C. researchers examined only Chinese, South Asian and European babies, but they say newborns of other ancestries may also differ in birth size from the norm.

They are at pains to point out that their study does not explain why these differences exist, or what the long-term consequences may be, calling for more research into these questions.

Interesting information. And good to know that if you have a baby of such descent that you need not subject them to needless tests.

[B4UTRUST]

Why does this seem to surprise people? It's been my experiance that most Oriental people are usually several inches shorter then the average person. While there are those who are average height or above average height it seems that more are below average then at or above it. Why should this prove different with infants?

[Mayabird]

People, for some strange reason, assume a one-size-fits-all approach works for these things. Maybe it's because people all think of themselves as normal and standard and don't consider otherwise. I wonder what pediatricians in Asia say is standard and normal.

Now what about us multi-racial people?

[B4UTRUST]

Then in the case of multi-racial it seems to go by whatever the dominant traits are. However, I point out that average heights by race seem to put asians, on average, as shorter then caucasians, people of african descent(african americans, etc), and hispanics.

It's just an observation, however.

[frigidmagi]

Part of that is diet to be honest, but yeah there does seem to be a genetic reason for the shortness.

[Mayabird]

My mom (who is Japanese) is always quick to mention how the post WWII generation was much taller than the pre-war generation because of the increase in protein consumption. School desks had to be thrown out and completely replaced because the students got so much bigger than before.

And yet, even so, Japanese people are still, on average, shorter than whites. It's just a fact. They were just a lot shorter before, rather than a little bit shorter.

I ate a mostly American diet as a kid and I'm taller than my mom, but still usually shorter than every other girl around. The only girl in my lab who is shorter is a very petite Chinese gal.

At the same time, I was a perfectly 'average' length and weight at birth in these terms. Well, I think so. I was born in a hospital in Japan (delivered in a room with a view of Fuji-san in the distance, just to brag).

[Cynical Cat]

Diet and enviroment is more important than genetics for determining height, but genetics still plays a roll. Its one of the reasons they can tell medieval Icelanders had a good shot of Celtic genes.

[LadyTevar]

Diet and enviroment is more important than genetics for determining height, but genetics still plays a roll. Its one of the reasons they can tell medieval Icelanders had a good shot of Celtic genes.

Was that from the Vikings that started Dublin, or from the thralls taken from Ireland?

[Cynical Cat]

Neither. We're talking about Icelanders in general. The Norse intermarried with the Celts, which is pretty much the standard pattern when they settle down anywhere. The islands up there like the Faroes had Celtic populations before the Norse arrived.

[frigidmagi]

And yet, even so, Japanese people are still, on average, shorter than whites

You know it's odd but I kept running into 16 year old boys in Okinawa who simply towered over me. These boys would have been considered tall in the US.

[Cpl Kendall]

And yet, even so, Japanese people are still, on average, shorter than whites

You know it's odd but I kept running into 16 year old boys in Okinawa who simply towered over me. These boys would have been considered tall in the US.

Maybe they were the result of affairs with US servicemen.