Researcher shows economic disparities impact infant health

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/uocd-cdr081914.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 19-Aug-2014

Contact: David Kelly
University of Colorado Denver
CU Denver researcher shows economic disparities impact infant health
High cortisol levels passed from mothers to babies

DENVER (August 20, 2014) – Women who are poor experience higher cortisol levels in pregnancy and give birth to infants with elevated levels of the stress hormone, putting them at greater risk for serious disease later in life, according to a new research from the University of Colorado Denver.

The study, published online recently in the American Journal of Human Biology, is the first to measure cortisol in infants and relate it directly to the socioeconomic status of their mothers during pregnancy.

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