One explanation for the higher levels of insulin resistance found among children of better-educated parents in Estonia and Portugal may be their adoption of Western lifestyles.

This research challenges the generally accepted view that adverse social circumstances in childhood contribute to an increased risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood.

The 3,189 randomly selected schoolchildren who participated in the study came from one of the richest countries in Europe (Denmark) and two poorer countries (Estonia and Portugal).

Researchers measured Insulin resistance -- a pre-cursor of heart disease -- in each child.

Western Lifestyles to Blame?

The Danish children with the most educated and highest-earning parents were the least insulin resistant.

But the opposite was true for children from Estonia and Portugal. In those countries, children of the most-educated and highest-earning parents were the most insulin resistant.

The higher levels of insulin resistance among children of better-educated parents in Estonia and Portugal may be the result of adoption of Western lifestyles, suggest the authors.

These results are an important reminder that socioeconomic inequalities are dynamic and vary over time and between countries, they conclude.

Gaps in Understanding

However, consumption of Western style "junk food" may not be the root cause of the pattern of high insulin resistance among children of highly educated parents, suggest researchers in an accompanying commentary.

Anomalies such as those found in the study help point toward gaps in our understanding, they say, and they caution against taking too simplistic a view of health inequalities.