A recent study conducted in Brazil has found that adverse childhood experiences, such as neglect or various forms of abuse, can trigger early weight gain in male infants, beginning as early as two months of age. The research, which followed 352 newborns and their mothers in the cities of Guarulhos and São Paulo, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The study revealed that these infants showed early signs of metabolic changes, leading to weight gain that exceeded typical growth expectations for their age. These alterations may increase the risk of obesity and diabetes later in life.
This research is the first published article from a broader project supported by FAPESP and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The project aims to study intergenerational trauma—negative effects passed down to future generations, even if the offspring did not directly experience these hardships. The study uses data from 580 vulnerable pregnant women.
Led by researchers from Columbia and Duke Universities in the U.S., alongside the Federal University of São Paulo’s School of Medicine (EPM-UNIFESP) in Brazil, the study examines how mother-infant interactions influence both mental and physical health outcomes.
According to the World Health Organization, infants should gain about 30 grams per day in the first stage of life. However, male babies in this study gained an average of 35 grams per day, with some gaining up to 78 grams daily.
“The babies in our study were born full-term, healthy, and within the ideal weight range,” said the lead researcher. “Despite this, the data showed that any adversity the mother faced during childhood led to an increase in the babies’ weight gain by 1.8 grams per day. Notably, this effect was observed only in male infants.”
The researcher, Jackowski, explained that maternal childhood trauma is just one of many factors that can impact a baby’s early weight gain. To account for other influences, the study controlled for factors such as maternal stress, previous trauma experiences, education level, and socioeconomic status.
Additionally, 70% of the infants in the study were exclusively breastfed, while 30% received a combination of breast milk and formula. This suggests that the early weight gain observed was not due to external factors like processed foods, but rather indicates early metabolic changes in response to maternal trauma.
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