pregnancy and stress

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12-23-08 RODALE NEWSROOM, EMMAUS, PA—Pregnant women who experience psychosocial stress could give birth to children more prone to insulin resistance in early adulthood, according to a recent study published in the journal American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Insulin resistance can be an early indicator of type 2 diabetes.

THE DETAILS: German researchers analyzed glucose-insulin metabolism in three dozen healthy young adults whose mothers experienced stressful “negative life events” while pregnant. They also tested 22 young adults whose mothers were not under major stress during pregnancy. The researchers identified negative life events as divorce, infidelity, a breakup, death of a loved one, severe financial problems, a father in denial, being involved in a car crash, or becoming a political refugee. The study was funded with grants from the German Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.