Overview

• A study of 352 mother-infant pairs in Brazil found that male infants of mothers who experienced childhood trauma gained an average of 35 g/day, exceeding the WHO's recommended 30 g/day.
• Each maternal childhood adversity increased male infant weight gain by 1.8 g/day, highlighting a direct link between maternal trauma and early metabolic changes.
• The effect was exclusive to male infants, attributed to sex-specific placental physiology that makes male fetuses more vulnerable to maternal stress-related inflammatory factors.
• Researchers controlled for key confounders such as socioeconomic status, feeding methods, and current maternal stress, strengthening the study's findings.
• The research team has begun a 24-month follow-up to explore the impact of complementary feeding and potential intervention strategies to mitigate long-term health risks.