eprintid: 10157725 rev_number: 7 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/15/77/25 datestamp: 2022-10-20 09:38:18 lastmod: 2022-10-20 09:38:18 status_changed: 2022-10-20 09:38:18 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Wells, Jonathan CK creators_name: Cole, Tim J creators_name: Cortina-Borja, Mario creators_name: Sear, Rebecca creators_name: Leon, David A creators_name: Marphatia, Akanksha A creators_name: Murray, Joseph creators_name: Wehrmeister, Fernando C creators_name: Oliveira, Paula D creators_name: Gonçalves, Helen creators_name: Oliveira, Isabel O creators_name: Menezes, Ana Maria B title: Life history trade-offs associated with exposure to low maternal capital are different in sons compared to daughters: Evidence from a prospective Brazilian birth cohort ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: G25 divisions: D13 divisions: B02 keywords: maternal investment, life history theory, trade-offs, reproduction, growth, education, inter-generational effect, obesity note: Copyright © 2022 Wells, Cole, Cortina-Borja, Sear, Leon, Marphatia, Murray, Wehrmeister, Oliveira, Gonçalves, Oliveira and Menezes. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. abstract: Background: Environmental exposures in early life explain variability in many physiological and behavioural traits in adulthood. Recently, we showed that exposure to a composite marker of low maternal capital explained the clustering of adverse behavioural and physical traits in adult daughters in a Brazilian birth cohort. These associations were strongly mediated by whether or not the daughter had reproduced by the age of 18 years. Using evolutionary life history theory, we attributed these associations to trade-offs between competing outcomes, whereby daughters exposed to low maternal capital prioritised investment in reproduction and defence over maintenance and growth. However, little is known about such trade-offs in sons. / Methods: We investigated 2,024 mother-son dyads from the same birth cohort. We combined data on maternal height, body mass index, income, and education into a composite "maternal capital" index. Son outcomes included reproductive status at the age of 18 years, growth trajectory, adult anthropometry, body composition, cardio-metabolic risk, educational attainment, work status, and risky behaviour (smoking, violent crime). We tested whether sons' early reproduction and exposure to low maternal capital were associated with adverse outcomes and whether this accounted for the clustering of adverse outcomes within individuals. / Results: Sons reproducing early were shorter, less educated, and more likely to be earning a salary and showing risky behaviour compared to those not reproducing, but did not differ in foetal growth. Low maternal capital was associated with a greater likelihood of sons' reproducing early, leaving school, and smoking. High maternal capital was positively associated with sons' birth weight, adult size, and staying in school. However, the greater adiposity of high-capital sons was associated with an unhealthier cardio-metabolic profile. / Conclusion: Exposure to low maternal investment is associated with trade-offs between life history functions, helping to explain the clustering of adverse outcomes in sons. The patterns indicated future discounting, with reduced maternal investment associated with early reproduction but less investment in growth, education, or healthy behaviour. However, we also found differences compared to our analyses of daughters, with fewer physical costs associated with early reproduction. Exposure to intergenerational "cycles of disadvantage" has different effects on sons vs. daughters, hence interventions may have sex-specific consequences. date: 2022-09-20 date_type: published publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA official_url: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.914965 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1982670 doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.914965 medium: Electronic-eCollection lyricists_name: Cortina Borja, Mario lyricists_name: Cole, Timothy lyricists_id: MCORT36 lyricists_id: TCOLE39 actors_name: Flynn, Bernadette actors_id: BFFLY94 actors_role: owner funding_acknowledgements: 086974/Z/08/Z [Wellcome Trust] full_text_status: public publication: Frontiers in Public Health volume: 10 article_number: 914965 pages: 22 event_location: Switzerland issn: 2296-2565 citation: Wells, Jonathan CK; Cole, Tim J; Cortina-Borja, Mario; Sear, Rebecca; Leon, David A; Marphatia, Akanksha A; Murray, Joseph; ... Menezes, Ana Maria B; + view all <#> Wells, Jonathan CK; Cole, Tim J; Cortina-Borja, Mario; Sear, Rebecca; Leon, David A; Marphatia, Akanksha A; Murray, Joseph; Wehrmeister, Fernando C; Oliveira, Paula D; Gonçalves, Helen; Oliveira, Isabel O; Menezes, Ana Maria B; - view fewer <#> (2022) Life history trade-offs associated with exposure to low maternal capital are different in sons compared to daughters: Evidence from a prospective Brazilian birth cohort. Frontiers in Public Health , 10 , Article 914965. 10.3389/fpubh.2022.914965 <https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.914965>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10157725/1/fpubh-10-914965.pdf