(17-03-13) DNA doesn't lie: Happy children become healthy adults

by Eleni Roumeliotou MSc

(NaturalNews) It sounds like science fiction but it is a scientific fact. A
happy childhood leads to a healthy adult life. This is what scientists found
when they examined the effects of childhood adversities to DNA. They found that
the tiny protective caps of our chromosomes, which are called telomeres,
shorten prematurely when kids consistently experience traumatic events.
Scientists have found that long telomeres are associated with health and
vitality, while short ones are usually found in seniors or chronically sick
people. Telomeres somehow record the accumulative impact of different lifestyle
factors in our health. Although the way they do that is not clear yet, one
thing is certain: they are sensitive to oxidative stress. It is well known that
psychological pressure exposes our cells in debilitating free radicals. This
could be a reason why telomeres become prematurely short. Research shows that
adults who had difficult childhood years have consistently shorter telomeres
and are at higher risk of chronic and debilitating disease.

If this sounds too exaggerated, think again. Doctors from the University of
California have found that even when the expectant mother is experiencing
consistent stress, the maternal hormonal and physiological responses are
perceived and recorded by the fetal DNA. The research found that when women
went through an intensely negative experience during pregnancy, their adult
offspring had shorter telomeres, in comparison with individuals whose mother
had a calm pregnancy. It looks like in some cases, adult disease is programmed
in the fetal DNA. Psychiatric research now indicates that childhood
maltreatment affects brain structure and in fact, the more serious the level of
abuse, the more obvious neurobiological abnormalities are detected, especially
in susceptible subjects.

More studies have found that children who experienced or even observed
domestic violence not only experience more often depression, anxiety and
reduced cognitive abilities, but also have detectable structural differences in
the part of the brain that processes visual stimuli. This may potentially
impact brain functions, such as figure recognition, object naming and conscious
perception of visual movement, all modalities that are controlled by the
affected brain structure. Guarding the emotional balance of your child is of
utmost importance at all times.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23300699
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23112344
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20520834

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