Abstract
Objectives
Maternal psychosocial stress during pregnancy can lead to heightened activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, increasing the risk of pre-term birth, intrauterine restriction, and preeclampsia. Maternal dietary intakes and nutrition status modify epigenetic marks in the placental and fetal HPA axis, which may then counter the negative influence of maternal stress. This study aims to determine the correlation of maternal psychosocial stress and nutrient intakes with biomarkers of HPA axis activity in human pregnancies.
Methods
Pregnant women (n = 60) were recruited to this observational study. Psychosocial stress survey, dietary recalls and blood samples were obtained in the 3rd trimester. Placentas and cord blood were retrieved at delivery.
Results
Maternal financial stress, neighborhood stress, and anxiety were positively or tended to be positively associated with maternal blood cortisol levels (P = 0.01-0.08), although none of the psychosocial stress measurements were correlated with placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), or 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11BHSD) expression. Placental NR3C1 expression was positively associated with birth weight (r = 0.42, P = 0.02) while placental CRH was negatively associated with gestational length (r = –0.45, P = 0.01). Overall dietary quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was not associated with psychosocial stress or related biomarkers, while intakes of the methyl donor choline (r = 0.46, P = 0.04) and omega-3 fatty acids (r = 0.47, P = 0.03) were positively associated with placental NR3C1 expression. Placental choline content was also positively associated with NR3C1 expression (r = 0.39, P = 0.04) and negatively associated with maternal neighborhood stress (r = –0.72, P = 0.02).
Conclusions
In summary, these data suggest that maternal psychosocial stress may adversely affect HPA axis functioning during pregnancy, whereas choline and other nutrients have the potential to counteract some of the impacts of psychosocial stress.
Funding Sources
CUNY Interdisciplinary Research Grant.
Biomarkers in the Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal Axis Were Associated with Maternal Psychosocial Stress and Choline Intake and Status During Pregnancy (P11-011-19)