Increasing evidence indicates that early-life stress contributes to metabolic disorders later in life. Paternain et al. studied this link in rats by exposing them to postnatal stress (periods of maternal separation) and then assessing their susceptibility to diet-induced metabolic dysfunction later in life. Their results show that maternal separation caused a differential response to a high-sucrose diet and altered the expression of several key metabolic genes in adult rats. Further studies could unravel the underlying mechanisms, with the aim of developing nutritional strategies that counteract the effects of early-life stress on metabolism in adults. Page 691
Written by editorial staff. © 2012. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
2012
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