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Cold parenting is associated with cellular aging in offspring: A retrospective study.
R Knutsen1, V Filippov2, S F Knutsen3
1Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350, United States.
Biological Psychology
|April 25, 2019
Summary
Cold parenting in early life is linked to shorter telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging. Higher education and maintaining a healthy weight may offer protection against these effects.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Genetics
- Public Health
Background:
- Early life stress is a significant risk factor for various diseases and premature mortality.
- Telomere length (TL) serves as a biomarker for cellular aging.
- Parenting styles are hypothesized to influence long-term health outcomes, including cellular aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between parenting style and telomere length (TL).
- To determine if childhood experiences of cold parenting impact cellular aging biomarkers in adulthood.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 199 participants in the Adventist Health Study-1 (AHS-1).
- Assessed parenting style retrospectively and measured relative telomere length (rTL) approximately 27 years later in the AHS-2 cohort.
- Employed statistical analysis to correlate parenting descriptions with rTL measurements.
Main Results:
- Individuals reporting a cold maternal parenting style exhibited significantly shorter relative telomere length (rTL) by approximately 25% compared to those without this experience.
- The association between cold parenting and reduced rTL was more pronounced in participants with lower educational attainment.
- Individuals who remained overweight/obese or gained weight during the follow-up period showed a stronger link between cold parenting and shorter rTL.
Conclusions:
- Cold parenting during formative years can be considered an early life stressor contributing to accelerated cellular aging.
- Findings support the link between early life stress, including psychosocial factors, and adverse health implications.
- Higher education and maintaining a normal weight appear to confer resilience against the cellular aging effects of cold parenting.
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