Sex, stress, and the heart: long-term cardiovascular effects of embryonic metabolic disruption
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How does stress before birth shape lifelong heart health? We show that chickens exposed to low oxygen or cold during development grow into adults with long-lasting, sex-specific heart changes. Males developed smaller bodies, altered heart structure, mitochondrial dysfunction, and faster telomere shortening, whereas females showed enlarged hearts but preserved mitochondrial function. Our findings reveal how early environmental stress programs cardiovascular health differently in males and females, with broad relevance for understanding heart disease risk.
