Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University’s Center for Mental Health Innovation have identified why increased adiposity, or the amount of fat in the body, during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk for mental health disorders in offspring.
The study, published recently in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, examined whether pregnancy or umbilical cord blood concentrations of two key hormones associated with fat mass — adiponectin and leptin — could be predictive of infant mental health disorders. Leptin, a hormone that helps regulate appetite, and adiponectin, a hormone that supports glucose level regulation and fat breakdown, are both critical in fetal development.
While an association between obesity during pregnancy and offspring mental health is becoming increasingly clear, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not yet understood. This is the first study to demonstrate the link between the two hormones and offspring behavioral outcomes.
The findings show that that lower levels of the hormone adiponectin in the parent’s circulation and higher concentrations of the hormone leptin in cord blood may be novel biomarkers of their offspring’s risk for mental health disorders.
Researchers say identifying these biomarkers could have significant potential for early intervention for children at risk for a range of mental health disorders, and suggest that identification of at-risk children may be possible earlier than commonly thought — at or even before birth. Additionally, these biomarkers can be measured in a clinical setting using standard, low-cost tools, and can be assessed using a single test that is easily interpretable.
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