Diet and affection during infancy can influence a child's stress vulnerability, researchers say

By Staff Writer

The amount of maternal care babies receive can have a significant impact on their mental health, according to researchers from the Douglas Institute

The study, which appears in the journal Developmental Psychobiology, reveals that there are critical factors early in life that can shape an individual's behavior and physiology. The amount of physical touch that babies receive - as well as their diet - are associated with their brains' vulnerability to stressful situations.

In a test study of rodents, maternal high-fat feeding during the prenatal and lactational periods showed to reduce stressful emotions in the baby animals. In addition, pups that were licked by their mothers were also likely to be less stressed than animals who did not receive that affection.

Claire-Dominique Walker, the study's author, claimed that these findings translate to human babies, as well. Maternal nutrition and affectionate care, which are relatively easy to implement, can have a significant impact on an infant's health, Walker concluded.

Adolescents who suffer from anxiety disorders may receive the support and care that they require through therapeutic wilderness therapy.