Cold-parenting linked to premature aging, increased disease risk in offspring
Research out of Loma Linda University Health suggests that unsupportive parenting styles may have several negative health implications for children, even into their adult years. The study found that the telomeres — protective caps on the ends of the strands of DNA — of subjects who considered their mothers’ parenting style as “cold” were on average 25% smaller compared to those who reported having a mother whose parenting style they considered “warm.” Research has found that early-life stress is associated with shorter telomeres, a measurable biomarker of accelerated cellular aging and increased disease risk later in life. “Telomeres have been called a genetic clock, but we now know that as early life stress increases, telomeres shorten and the risk of a host of diseases increases, as well as premature death,” said Raymond Knutsen, MD, MPH, lead author of the study and associate professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health. “We know that each time a cell divides, the telomeres shorten, which shortens its lifespan.” Interestingly, mutations in genes maintaining telomeres cause a group of rare diseases resembling premature aging. “However, we know that some cells in the body…