Telomere Length in Newborns is Related to Maternal Stress During Pregnancy.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized observational cohort study examining maternal prenatal factors and newborn telomere length.
PubMed 28397798 · doi:10.1038/npp.2017.73
What was done
The study assessed associations between telomere length and maternal perceived stress during pregnancy, maternal lifetime history of psychiatric disorder, and paternal age. Telomere length was measured in 319 newborns and 318 mothers from a predominantly Caucasian cohort (273 Caucasian newborns and 274 Caucasian mothers).
What was found
The abstract reports directions of association without numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values. Maternal perceived stress during pregnancy was associated with shorter telomeres in newborns, but not in mothers. Maternal lifetime history of psychiatric disorder was associated with shorter maternal telomeres, but not newborn telomeres. Paternal age was not associated with newborn telomere length.
Why it matters
This work provides evidence that intrauterine exposure to maternal psychological stress is linked to cellular aging markers in offspring at birth independently of maternal lifetime psychiatric history.
Limits
No effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values are reported in the abstract. The cohort was predominantly Caucasian, limiting generalizability to diverse populations, and the observational design precludes causal conclusions.
Cited by
- supports Severe maternal life events and stress during pregnancy and the year prior to birth predict shorter telomere length in newborn cord blood.