Maternal educational attainment in pregnancy and epigenome-wide DNA methylation changes in the offspring from birth until adolescence

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#humans #dna-methylation #female #pregnancy #adolescent

Maternal educational attainment in pregnancy and epigenome-wide DNA methylation changes in the offspring from birth until adolescence

Choudhary et al., 2024 | Mol Psychiatry | Meta Analysis

Citation

Choudhary Priyanka, Monasso Giulietta S, ... Sebert Sylvain. Maternal educational attainment in pregnancy and epigenome-wide DNA methylation changes in the offspring from birth until adolescence. Mol Psychiatry. 2024-Feb;29(2):348-358. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02331-5

Abstract

Maternal educational attainment (MEA) shapes offspring health through multiple potential pathways. Differential DNA methylation may provide a mechanistic understanding of these long-term associations. We aimed to quantify the associations of MEA with offspring DNA methylation levels at birth, in childhood and in adolescence. Using 37 studies from high-income countries, we performed meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) to quantify the associations of completed years of MEA at the time of pregnancy with offspring DNA methylation levels at birth (n = 9 881), in childhood (n = 2 017), and adolescence (n = 2 740), adjusting for relevant covariates. MEA was found to be associated with DNA methylation at 473 cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites at birth, one in childhood, and four in adolescence. We observed enrichment for findings from previous EWAS on maternal folate, vitamin-B12 concentrations, maternal smoking, and pre-pregnancy BMI. The associations were directionally consistent with MEA being inversely associated with behaviours including smoking and BMI. Our findings form a bridge between socio-economic factors and biology and highlight potential pathways underlying effects of maternal education. The results broaden our understanding of bio-social associations linked to differential DNA methylation in multiple early stages of life. The data generated also offers an important resource to help a more precise understanding of the social determinants of health.

Key Findings

The data generated also offers an important resource to help a more precise understanding of the social determinants of health.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size 9
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Humans
  • DNA Methylation
  • Female
  • Pregnancy
  • Adolescent
  • Epigenome
  • Child
  • Educational Status
  • Male
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
  • Child, Preschool
  • Infant
  • Mothers
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Adult
  • Academic Success

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Meta Analysis
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Meta-Analysis, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: vitamin-b12

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09