The impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on gut microbiota and markers of inflammation is mediated by obesity and depression

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor health outcomes in adulthood including obesity, psychiatric symptoms, elevated levels of inflammatory markers, and suboptimal pregnancy outcomes. Female participants were recruited in the third trimester of pregnancy as part of a larger growth study of African-American infants. Participants were categorized as healthy weight or obese based on their early pregnancy BMI. They completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Stool samples, blood, and dietary data were collected in the third trimester. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed on DNA isolated from stool.