Theories on Why Humans Develop Coronary Heart Disease

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Most individual would think that the cause of diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic disease is because of their own unhealthy lifestyle decisions. For instance, most people would think because of smoking, stress, and not enough exercise can have a higher chance of attending those disease. However, Barker have a different point of view. As D.J.P Barker state in his article titled, Fetal and Infant Origins of Adult Disease Hypothesis that adaptations that fetus make when is under-nourished rather than adaptations made in adult life and those made during early development tends to have permanent effect on body's structure and function (Barker, 2001). He hypothesize that low birth weight is a factor contributing to development of coronary heart disease in adulthood but he neglected there are sociological factors during adult life can also trigger the development of coronary heart disease as well. Even though the Fetal Origins Hypothesis used an biological explanation to the development of coronary heart disease but it fails to recognize the sociological factors to coronary heart disease. One's position on the socioeconomic gradient has a contribution to the risk of coronary heart disease.

According to Barker's hypothesis, he explain how the mother's exposure and metabolism can have an effect on the fetus health. He hypothesize the environment that the mother is exposed to prior to birth and during birth can have an effect on the fetus health as it gets older. As we know female is the one responsible for reproduction so the health of the mother can have a direct effect to the fetus. If the mother is undernourished it will potentially send a signal to the fetus that the environment is about to enter is going to be harsh and the ...

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...ual relationship with cardiovascular disease. Overall, the results shows that it is best to be increasing or stable amount of income then it would decrease one's chance of risk of cardiovascular disease. However, Johnson hypothesis only used socioeconomic status in relation to income with coronary heart disease but it doesn't explain how coronary heart disease would be measure if one doesn't have income for instance like children and teenager then how would their risk to coronary heart disease would be measure. Would it be measure in relationship to the parents income then? Since the children is taken care by their parent so whatever the parent is expose to is going to have a indirect relationship to the children. A follow up studies should be conducted on how one's social gradient change over their life course in relationship to cardiovascular disease is needed.

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