Babies born by stressed pregnant mothers risk asthma, autism - Study

A study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati in the United States says babies of women who experience stress during pregnancy are at risk of developing diseases such as asthma, obesity, autism, among others.

The research, published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, notes psychosocial factors creating stress. They include lack of social support, loneliness, marriage status or bereavement, all of which they say may mutate a baby’s mitochondrial DNA and could be a precursor to a host of diseases.

According to the researchers, there is a connection between trauma and DNA mutation, emphasising that stress on an expectant mother could affect her baby’s chance of developing disease — perhaps even over the course of the child’s life.

An Associate Professor of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in the UC College of Medicine and lead author of the study, Kelly Brunst, said, “There are a lot of conditions that start in childhood that have ties to mitochondrial dysfunction including asthma, obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism.

“The foetal and infant period is a vulnerable time for environmental exposure due to heightened development during these periods.

“We don’t just wake up one day and have asthma or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The programming effects resulting from environmentally induced shifts occur over time and likely start during gestation at the molecular and cellular level.

“These shifts alter physiological states that likely play a role in who is going to go on and develop adverse health outcomes.”

The researchers sequenced the mitochondrial genome and identified mutations in 365 placenta samples from birth mothers in Boston and New York City from 2013 to 2018.

According to them, a multivariable regression model was used to look at maternal lifetime stress in relation to the number of gene mutations in the placenta mitochondrial genome.

The study found that women experiencing increased psychosocial stress — that range from sexual assault, domestic violence or serious injury to incarceration, physical or mental illness and family hardship — over their lifetime exhibited a higher number of placental mitochondrial mutations.

The strongest associations according to the study, were observed among black women.

Commenting further on the study, the lead author said, “The idea behind this work is about understanding how our environment, in this case maternal stress and trauma, impact mitochondrial function and ultimately neurobehavioral development.

“The hope is to gain insight as to why certain children are vulnerable to developing a range of complex conditions previously linked to environmental exposures such as chronic stress or air pollution.”

“We ask about events that might have occurred prior to their pregnancy even during the mother’s own childhood as part of our study,”

“So what this is telling us is that the stress that a woman has experienced even before she is pregnant might have an impact on the fetal mitochondrial genome.”

Reacting to the study during an interview with PUNCH HealthWise, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Bright Airhumwunde, says stress during pregnancy has lots of negative outcomes including preterm delivery and low birth weight.

Dr. Airhumwunde explained, “In childhood, behavioural and cognitive and learning disabilities arising from neurodevelopmental problems in utero (during pregnancy) are linked to maternal stress.

“In our modern world, many women are now major breadwinners of their families and this further puts a lot of pressure on them.

“Moreover, widespread poverty, mass unemployment especially of women, poor working conditions, family and household responsibilities, strain in relationship with partners and other complications of pregnancy are recognised stressors.