Scientists discover that younger siblings increase blood pressure in older children.

Plain and simple: younger siblings can be bothersome at times. However it’s not just the nuisance aspect or cases of sibling rivalry, apparently having a little brother or sister can pose a health risk for the older kid.

Scientists have recently discovered that the children encounter higher blood pressure when they have a younger sibling. And not all genders are created equal: a baby sister can increase blood pressure by nearly 4 percent, while brothers cause an increase of 3 to almost 6 percent in older kids.

A co-author of the study states “Children see the arrival of a younger sibling as stressful because the newborn competes for parental attention.”

Researchers obtained their findings by studying sibling structure and blood pressure rates of farming families in the villages of Bolivia.

Health wasn’t the only troubling problem discovered as, “Studies suggest that the presence of younger siblings is associated with poorer mental health and behavior problems”. On a much more positive note, as the child ages, the effect of younger siblings on their blood pressure decreases.