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Prenatal maternal mental health symptoms predict infant leptin at birth

Samantha R Scott1, Erika M Manczak1

  • 1University of Denver, Department of Psychology, Denver, CO, USA.

Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health
|September 30, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Maternal prenatal mental health symptoms, particularly somatic symptoms, were linked to lower infant leptin levels at birth. This suggests a potential biological pathway connecting maternal well-being to infant metabolic health.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive biology
  • Developmental origins of health and disease
  • Perinatal mental health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Metabolic signaling at birth is a potential predictor of future obesity.
  • Understanding prenatal influences on infant metabolic programming is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal prenatal mental health symptoms and infant cord blood leptin and adiponectin levels.
  • To determine if specific maternal mental health symptom subscales predict infant metabolic markers.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Born in Bradford (BiB) multi-ethnic birth cohort (N=2962 dyads).
  • Examined associations between maternal prenatal mental health symptom scores and infant cord blood leptin and adiponectin.
  • Analyzed total maternal symptoms and specific symptom subscales.

Main Results:

  • Higher maternal prenatal mental health symptoms, especially somatic symptoms, were associated with lower infant cord blood leptin levels.
  • No significant association was found between maternal prenatal mental health symptoms and infant adiponectin levels.
  • Findings suggest leptin as a potential mediator linking maternal mental health to infant metabolism.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal prenatal mental health symptoms may influence infant metabolic profiles, specifically via leptin.
  • These findings highlight the importance of maternal mental well-being during pregnancy for infant metabolic health.
  • Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying this association and its long-term implications.

Keywords:
AdiponectinLeptinPrenatal mental health

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