Summary: New research indicates that stress experienced by mothers during pregnancy can negatively shape their children’s food preferences and diets, with potential long-term health consequences.
Source: Columbia University
According to research led by Michele Belot, a professor in the Cornell University Department of Economics, exposure to stress during pregnancy is associated with poorer dietary outcomes in children. The study suggests these diet-related changes in offspring could contribute to higher risks of obesity and other diet-related conditions later in life.
“Exposure to stressful events while pregnant appears to influence children’s food preferences and overall diet in a negative way, independent of the mother’s own eating habits,” says Belot, who holds joint appointments in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the College of Arts and Sciences.
Given these findings, Belot emphasizes the importance of supporting pregnant women to manage stress: “Helping expectant mothers reduce stress can benefit both their own wellbeing and their child’s long-term health.”
Published in the journal Nutrition, the paper reports that higher-than-average maternal stress during pregnancy correlates with less healthy food preferences in children, and with a reduced liking for sour and bitter tastes—two taste profiles often associated with vegetables and other nutrient-rich foods.
The authors—Nicoli Vitt (University of Bristol), Martina Vecchi (Penn State), Jonathan James (University of Bath), and Belot—note the potential public health implications: “Stress during pregnancy could have lasting, detrimental effects on the next generation’s diet and related health outcomes, such as higher rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases.” They call for more research into what causes maternal stress and which stressors can be mitigated, and recommend that prenatal care and preconception counseling include strategies to reduce maternal stress.
The study focused on 213 mothers of low socioeconomic status living in the Colchester area of the United Kingdom. Children included in the study were between 2 and 12 years old. Researchers assessed maternal stress during pregnancy using retrospective self-reports: mothers reported whether they experienced specific stressful life events while pregnant and rated the severity of each event on a scale from one to ten.
Reported events included the death of a close family member or friend, relationship difficulties, legal problems, family disruptions, health issues, employment changes, financial problems, changes in personal habits, or other potentially stressful occurrences. From these responses, the researchers constructed indices that measured overall exposure to prenatal stress.
To evaluate child outcomes, the team measured the healthiness of each child’s diet and assessed preferences across the five basic tastes—sour, salty, umami, bitter and sweet—as reported by the mothers. Statistical models then examined links between prenatal stress exposure and children’s taste preferences and diet, controlling for maternal diet during and after pregnancy, current maternal stress, maternal body mass index, and demographic variables for both mother and child.
The results showed a clear negative association: greater in utero exposure to stress was linked with less healthy food preferences and diets in children. Specifically, higher maternal stress predicted weaker preferences for sour and bitter tastes—flavors commonly found in many vegetables and other healthful foods. Importantly, these associations persisted even after accounting for the mother’s own diet and current stress and were observed across different child age groups.
Belot highlights policy implications: “I support programs that promote mental health and wellbeing to reduce everyday stress. Pregnant women from low-income backgrounds may lack workplace supports or access to private services, so community-based mental health and wellbeing programs could be especially valuable.” She notes that many community organizations in the U.K. already support low-income families and that adding targeted maternal mental health resources during pregnancy could improve outcomes for both mothers and children.
About this stress and pregnancy research news
Author: Press Office
Source: Cornell University
Contact: Press Office – Cornell University
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Original Research: Closed access.
“Maternal stress during pregnancy and children’s diet: Evidence from a population of low socioeconomic status” by Nicolai Vitt et al., Nutrition. DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111423
Abstract
Maternal stress during pregnancy and children’s diet: Evidence from a population of low socioeconomic status
Objectives
This study investigated how maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy relates to children’s food preferences and overall diet within a low socioeconomic sample.
Methods
Researchers built indices of prenatal stress using mothers’ retrospective reports of stressful events during pregnancy (for example, bereavement, relationship or legal difficulties, health or financial problems). The sample included over 200 mothers with children aged 2–12 years. Data collected at the same time covered mothers’ body mass index, current stress exposure, current diet, and diet during pregnancy, as well as mothers’ reports of their children’s food preferences and current diets. Outcomes were indices reflecting the healthiness of food preferences and diets.
Results
Analyses indicate that maternal stress during pregnancy significantly predicts children’s taste and food preferences and their diet, even after accounting for maternal diet, present maternal stress, and demographic factors. Higher average prenatal stress was associated with less healthy food preferences and diets in children and with reduced liking for sour and bitter tastes. These patterns held across different child age groups.
Conclusions
Maternal stress during pregnancy may have lasting negative effects on children’s dietary habits and related health outcomes. Integrating stress reduction into prenatal care and preconception counseling could help develop preventive strategies to improve long-term public health.