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Prenatal mindfulness was linked to differences in placental fats in a study

A study linked prenatal mindfulness training to differences in placental fatty acids, LCGC International reports. Researchers analyzed placentas from participants in a Barcelona clinical trial who were randomly assigned to a mindfulness program or standard care. The findings appeared in the journal Placenta.

The program, called mindfulness-based stress reduction, teaches meditation and awareness techniques for managing stress, according to LCGC International. The report does not specify which fatty acids differed between the groups or give the size of the differences.

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Researchers examined fats and gene activity#

The team used gas chromatography to examine the types of fat in each placenta, LCGC International reports. Gas chromatography is a laboratory method that separates and analyzes compounds that can be vaporized without breaking down, according to the Wikipedia entry on the technique.

Researchers also measured the activity of certain genes and the amounts of certain proteins, LCGC International reports. They examined placentas from baby boys and baby girls separately. The report does not specify the gene or protein results.

The placenta exchanges nutrients, gases and waste between maternal and fetal circulations and produces hormones during pregnancy, according to the Wikipedia entry on the organ. LCGC International says the study examined whether the mindfulness program was associated with changes in placental functions involving nutrients and hormones.

Earlier research examined placental stress signals#

In a separate study, researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that chronic stress during pregnancy changed placental communication with the fetus, Medical Xpress reports. The researchers said the changes may have implications for early brain development.

The Ohio State team identified changes in several placental pathways, including those involved in antiviral immune signaling and cellular energy metabolism, according to Medical Xpress. The report also described changes in gene-regulatory pathways involving chromatin, RNA processing and extracellular matrix organization.

Tamar Gur, a maternal-fetal psychiatrist at Ohio State, said researchers are still beginning to understand stress signals and the placenta's role in transmitting them, WBAL-TV reports. According to Gur, the research aims to identify methods for reducing stress and stopping it from reaching the fetus.

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