Maternal Chronic Perceived Stress, but Not Acute Stress Exposure, Is Associated With Ghrelin Levels Among Hispanic Pregnant Women With Overweight or Obesity

Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study is to test the effects of maternal chronic and acute psychological stress on plasma ghrelin levels among pregnant women with overweight or obesity.

Methods

N = 33 Hispanic women without diabetes and a pre-pregnancy BMI of 25.0–34.9 Kg/m² participated in a crossover study at 28–32 weeks’ gestation. Perceived stress levels over the past month were assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale. Women attended the lab in the fasted state on two separate days and consumed a breakfast shake immediately after a fasting blood and saliva sample collection on each visit, followed by a 15 minute task: friendly conversation (control) on visit 1 or the standardized Trier Social Stress Test on visit 2 to elicit acute stress. Six postprandial blood and saliva samples were collected at intervals up to 2 hours post-prandial and assayed for ghrelin and cortisol, respectively. The area-under-the-curve (AUC) for ghrelin and cortisol were computed. Differences in ghrelin AUC between visits were compared by paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA adjusting for gestational age at visit 2. Associations between perceived stress scores with fasting and ghrelin AUC, and between cortisol AUC and ghrelin AUC following acute stress exposure were analyzed by linear regression, adjusting for gestational age.

Results

Perceived stress score was positively associated with ghrelin levels both in the fasted (beta = 0.06, p = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.12) and postprandial state (beta = 0.05, p = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.09), which remained significant after adjusting for gestational age. Mean ghrelin AUC following a meal was lower after acute stress compared to the control condition (10.19 ± 0.37 vs 10.24 ± 0.40, p = 0.03), but this difference was not significant after adjusting for gestational age (p = 0.59). Salivary cortisol reactivity to acute stress was also not associated with ghrelin AUC (beta = −0.02, p = 0.92, 95% CI = −0.38, 0.35).

Conclusions

Chronic perceived stress in pregnant women with overweight and obesity may contribute to higher ghrelin levels both in the fasted state and after consuming a meal. Postprandial ghrelin is not affected by acute stress exposure in this population of women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Funding Sources

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.