Physical activity during pregnancy enhances the metabolic health of offspring, but new research in mice indicates that prenatal stress blunts these benefits, at least in male offspring. The findings are published in The FASEB Journal .
The study also found that maternal stress may have this effect by altering signaling pathways involving corticosteroids—hormones that regulate energy balance and other physiological processes—in brown fat tissue in offspring. This type of beneficial fat burns energy to produce heat, unlike white fat, which stores it.
The research identifies a stress-exercise interaction that may influence offspring metabolic programming through tissue-specific regulation of corticosteroid pathways.
“This work provides a framework for understanding how psychosocial factors may modify exercise‐based interventions during pregnancy and highlights the importance of considering maternal stress context in studies of developmental metabolic programming,” the authors wrote.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202600159R
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About the Journal
The FASEB Journal , the flagship publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), leads in publishing groundbreaking multidisciplinary research in biology and biomedical sciences. It spans all levels of biological organization, from molecular to population studies. The journal drives advances in basic, translational, pre-clinical, and early clinical research. Known for its rigorous peer-review process, The FASEB Journal is dedicated to advancing high-quality scientific discoveries and shaping the future of science.
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The FASEB Journal
Distinct effects of maternal stress and exercise on offspring metabolic health
22-Apr-2026