MSN: Mother's stress levels during pregnancy could increase risk of illness in children
UC researcher says host of conditions that start in childhood linked to DNA mutation and stress
MSN reported research findings from University of Cincinnati researcher Kelly Brunst, PhD, that indicate a mother’s stress levels during pregnancy could increase the risk of their unborn child developing illnesses later in life. Brunst, an assistant professor in the UC College of Medicine, says psychosocial factors in mothers that create stress may also be mutating a child’s mitochondrial DNA and could be precursor to a host of diseases including asthma, obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism.
"We don't just wake up one day and have asthma or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," Brunst is quoted in MSN. "The programming effects resulting from environmentally induced shifts occur over time and likely start during gestation at the molecular and cellular level. These shifts alter physiological states that likely play a role in who is going to go on and develop adverse health outcomes.”
Read the full MSN story online.
The research was also picked up by other media:
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Stay up on all UC's COVID-19 stories, or take a UC virtual visit and begin picturing yourself at an institution that inspires incredible stories.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.