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Research on Aging - Stress in the Womb

September 5, 2013

The risk of suffering diabetes or a stroke in later years may be influenced by what we experience in the womb.

https://p.dw.com/p/19cUa
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Image: Fotolia/st-fotograf

Medical researchers at Jena's University Hospital are investigating the long-term effects of prenatal stress on children now 8-10 years old. Facing a premature delivery, their mothers were given a stress hormone to accelerate the development of their babies' lungs. But it may well have also accelerated the aging of these children's brains, exposing them to an increased risk of age-related diseases.

Stress in the womb