BBC News released an article: “Childhood abuse ‘quickens ageing.'”
Here are some excerpts:
[begin excerpts]
Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body’s
ageing process, US research suggests.
A team from Brown University focused on telomeres, the protective caps
on the chromosomes that keep a cell’s DNA stable but shorten with age.
They found the telomeres of 31 people who had reported abuse as children
tended to shorten more rapidly, speeding up cells’ ageing process.
Experts cautioned that the study needed to be replicated on a larger scale.
The study is featured in Biological Psychiatry.
Lead researcher Dr Audrey Tyrka said: “It gives us a hint that early
developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can
influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level.” (more…)