PhD defence F.O.L. (Florianne) Vehmeijer

Chronic stress is associated with several cardio-metabolic outcomes in adults such as hypertension, heart failure and the metabolic syndrome. Long-term exposure to elevated
concentrations of cortisol, also known as the most important stress hormone, seems to have a deleterious effect on the function of cardiovascular and metabolic systems. The main hypothesis for this thesis was that the associations of chronic stress with cardiometabolic outcomes may originate in early life. Identifying adverse exposures in early life is important for the development of preventive strategies and interventions aiming to reduce the burden of disease in later life. During fetal life, the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis, responsible for the regulation of cortisol, is under construction and therefore susceptible to prenatal programming influences. Exposure to physical or psychological stress in early-life may induce permanent changes in growth, organ structure and metabolism, and thereby have an important role in the development of diseases in later life. The first objective of this thesis was to assess the associations of maternal psychological distress in pregnancy with body fat development and cardio-metabolic outcomes in childhood. The second objective was to assess the associations of childhood hair cortisol concentrations with body fat development and cardio-metabolic outcomes in childhood. As third objective, we assessed the associations of maternal haemoglobin concentrations and DNA methylation in the offspring. Lastly, as fourth objective, we aimed to identify whether DNA methylation in newborns, children and adolescents was associated with BMI in childhood and adolescence. The studies presented in this thesis used data from the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort study from fetal life onwards in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics Consortium (PACE).

The PhD defences will not take place publicly in the usual way. A live stream link has been provided to candidate. The ceremony will begin exactly at 15:30.