Nutritional interventions to counteract the detrimental consequences of early-life stress

Stress during critical developmental phases might raise the likelihood of mental health problems later in life and have long-lasting detrimental consequences on behavior. Although progress has been made in understanding how early-life stress (ES) impacts brain development, targeting these mechanisms for intervention remains difficult. Emerging research suggests that nutrition could play a valuable role in reducing the risk of ES-related neurobehavioral problems. Nutritional strategies are appealing because they tend to be safe, affordable, and easy to apply. This review by Geertsema et al. (2025) examined 86 rodent studies and 10 human studies on nutritional interventions designed to reduce the impact of ES on behavior and mental health. While the limited and diverse nature of human studies prevents firm conclusions, preclinical studies in rodents suggest that nutrition can help counteract the effects of early stress. The authors also explored potential biological mechanisms behind these benefits, including reduced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, improved stress hormone regulation, and interactions along the gut-brain axis. The authors identify major knowledge gaps and suggest directions for future research to enhance the understanding and application of these findings. [NPID: Early-life stress, neurobehavioral outcomes, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, HPA axis, gut-brain axis, developmental programming]

Year: 2025

Reference: Geertsema, J., Juncker, H. G., Wilmes, L., Burchell, G. L., de Rooij, S. R., van Goudoever, J. B., O’Riordan, K. J., Clarke, G., Cryan, J. F., & Korosi, A. (2025). Nutritional interventions to counteract the detrimental consequences of early-life stress. Molecular Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03020-1

Related Studies

Effect of academic stressors on eating habits among medical students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In this 2019 cross-sectional study, a sample of 105 Arabian male medical students (mean age 21) were taken and examined on their dietary patterns in order to determine its association with stress. These future medics studying at Al-Imam Muhammed Ibn Saud Islamic University completed questionnaires to assess their diet. Freshmen were found to experience higher […]

Stress and eating behaviors

Since high-fat and high-sugar foods have been recently associated with possessing addictive qualities, Yau & Potenza (2013) address stress as a great influence in the development of addiction, which creates further links with increased risk of obesity and other metabolic diseases. Chronic stress alters eating habits and hyperpalatable food consumption, possibly leading to alterations in […]