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Background: Intrauterine exposure to alcohol may affect cardiovascular development, increasing risk of cardiovascular malformations. Intrauterine exposure to light maternal alcohol intake has been reported to affect human umbilical arterial contractility, and adult sheep exposed in utero have had altered cerebrovascular reactivity. In human adults, alcohol intake affects arterial stiffness., Objectives: We investigated whether intrauterine exposure to alcohol was associated with childhood pulse wave velocity (PWV), a measure of arterial stiffness., Methods: On postnatal day 4, mothers of 147 twin pairs born in Tasmania from 1991 to 1993 reported alcohol intake during each trimester of pregnancy. At 9 years, child PWV was assessed over carotid-femoral and femoral-dorsalis pedis arterial segments by applanation tonometry., Results: Carotid-femoral PWV was 0.2 m/s (95% CI 0.06, 0.4) higher (indicating stiffer vessels) in children whose mothers drank alcohol in the 2nd trimester rather than abstained, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. A similar effect was not seen for femoral-dorsalis pedis PWV. Findings were independent of child blood pressure which correlated strongly with PWV. Alcohol intake varied little between trimesters, so it was not possible to assess the effect of timing of exposure., Conclusions: Carotid-femoral PWV in adults is predictive of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The degree of continuity between childhood and adulthood PWV is unknown, but as we found an association between prenatal alcohol exposure and carotid-femoral PWV at 9 years, a permanent change in vessel wall structure or function is possible. These findings need to be confirmed in other and larger cohorts, and mechanistic animal studies are needed., (Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: There is evidence that maternal calcium supplementation may result in lower offspring blood pressure. We hypothesized that maternal calcium supplementation also influences other cardiovascular risk factors., Methods: In the Tasmanian Infant Health Study, supplements reportedly taken in pregnancy were recorded. Twin children of 147 participating mothers were seen at mean age 9 years. Blood pressure was measured in all 294 children and fasting blood samples taken from 230 (78%) for glucose and insulin, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol (T-C) and HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated., Results: Children of supplemented mothers (n = 110, 77 had venipuncture) had lower geometric mean triacylglycerol, T-C, and LDL-C than other children. After adjustment for potential confounding factors, geometric mean ratios were 0.86 (95% CI: 0.75, 0.98), 0.94, (95% CI: 0.90, 0.99) and 0.90, (95% CI: 0.83, 0.98) respectively. The association with T-C and LDL-C was seen principally among children with BMI > 17.5: estimated ratios 0.85 (95% CI: 0.79, 0.92) for total cholesterol and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.90) for LDL cholesterol (P for interaction 0.001 and 0.009 respectively). There was no significant association between maternal calcium supplementation and child size at birth and follow up, blood pressure, fasting glucose or insulin or HDL-C., Conclusions: Maternal calcium supplementation may confer health benefits on twin offspring, especially if they are relatively fat. Calcium availability could permanently programme lipid metabolism during fetal life, directly or by influencing maternal lipid profile. Our findings need to be replicated in other studies and in singletons. If confirmed, our findings could have important implications for population health.