Prenatal psychosocial stress exposure is associated with insulin resistance in young adults

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the association in humans between maternal psychosocial stress exposure during pregnancy and measures of glucose-insulin metabolism in the adult offspring.

Study design: Healthy young adults whose mothers experienced major stressful life events during their pregnancy (n = 36, prenatal stress, PS group, mean age 25 +/- 5.14 [SD] years) and a comparison group (n = 22, CG, mean age 24 +/- 3.7 [SD] years) underwent an oral glucose tolerance test.

Results: Glucose levels were not significantly different across the groups; however, prenatally stressed subjects showed significantly elevated 2-hour insulin (P = .01) and C-peptide levels (P = .03). These differences were independent of other major risk factors for insulin resistance, including birth phenotype (birthweight, length of gestation), a family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, body mass index, proinflammatory state, and smoking.

Conclusion: Higher insulin responses reflect relative insulin resistance in these prenatally stressed young adults. This study is the first to provide evidence for a link in humans between prenatal psychosocial stress exposure and alterations in glucose-insulin metabolic function.

Figure 1

Mean glucose, insulin, C-peptide and leptin responses (± SEM) to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in prenatally stressed (PS, “black circles”) and comparison group (CG, “white triangles”) subjects. Glucose levels were not significantly different across the groups, however, PS subjects showed significantly elevated 2h insulin (p=.01) and C-peptide levels (p=.03), as well as higher leptin levels at all time points during the OGTT (p=.05).