Doctors might be able to predict a newborn's long-term health outlook, by analyzing their umbilical cord blood, a new study says.

Genetic clues found in cord blood can offer early insight into which infants are at higher risk for health problems like diabetes, stroke and liver disease later in life, researchers will report at the upcoming Digestive Disease Week meeting in San Diego.

“We’re seeing kids develop metabolic problems earlier and earlier, which puts them at higher risk for serious complications as adults,” lead researcher Dr. Ashley Jowell, a resident physician in internal medicine at Duke University Health System in Durham, N.C., said in a news release. “If we can identify that risk at birth, we may be able to prevent it.”

For the study, researchers performed genetic analysis on the umbilical cord blood of 38 children enrolled in a long-term study based in North Carolina.

The analysis looked for chemical patterns in infants’ DNA that switch genes on or off. When these switches occur in critical parts of DNA, their health effects can persist through fetal development and into later life.

The research team compared these DNA changes to the kids’ health at ages 7 to 12, and identified multiple areas where genes in cord blood predicted health problems in childhood.

For example, changes in a gene called TNS3 were linked to fatty liver, liver inflammation or damage, and excess belly fat as measured by waist-to-hip ratio, results show.

Changes in other genes were connected to blood pressure, waist-to-hip ratio, and liver inflammation or damage, researchers said.

“These epigenetic signals are laid down during embryonic development, potentially influenced by environmental factors such as nutrition or maternal health during pregnancy,” co-researcher Dr. Cynthia Moylan, an associate professor in the division of gastroenterology at Duke University Health System, said in a news release.

Researchers noted that the sample size was small, but the links so powerful that these findings warrant further investigation. A larger follow-up study funded by the National Institutes of Health is underway.

“If validated in larger studies, this could open the door to new screening tools and early interventions for at-risk children,” Moylan added.

Jowell said disease may be preventable even with these markers.

"Just because you're born with these markers doesn't mean disease is inevitable," she said. "But knowing your risk earlier in life could help families and clinicians take proactive steps to support a child’s long-term health."

Researchers are scheduled to present their findings May 4. Findings presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.