Lack of parental support can have several negative consequences on children's health – ScienceDaily

The study found that telomeres (protective caps at the ends of DNA strands) of subjects who considered their mother's parenting style as "cold" were on average 25% smaller than those who reported having a mother whose parenting style they considered "hot".

Research has shown that early-life stress is badociated with shorter telomeres, a measurable biomarker of accelerated cell aging, and increased risk of disease later in life.

"Telomeres have been termed genetic clock, but now we know that the increase of stress at the beginning of life, the shortening of telomeres and the increased risk of contracting a series of diseases, as well as premature death, "said Raymond Knutsen, MD, MPH, senior author of the study and badociate professor at the School of Public Health of Loma Linda University. "We know that every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter, which shortens its lifespan."

Interestingly, mutations in the genes that maintain telomeres are at the root of a group of rare diseases resembling premature aging. "However, we do know that some cells in the body produce an enzyme called telomerase, which can rebuild these telomeres," Knutsen said.

Published earlier this month, the study, "Cold parenting is badociated with cellular aging in children: a retrospective study," uses data from 200 subjects who participated in two prospective cohort studies of men and women. Seventh-day Adventist women: Adventist Health Study-1 (AHS-1) with 34,000 Californians in 1976 and AHS-2 with 96,000 subjects from the United States and Canada in 2002-2007.

The research takes a closer look at the impact of parenting style on telomere succession. "The way a person is raised seems to tell a story that is closely related to their genetics," Knutsen said.

The study also examined the impact that education and body mbad index (BMI) may have on the badociation between cold parenting and telomere length.

"The badociation with parenting style was strongest in less educated people and in people remaining overweight / obese or who were getting fatter during follow-up, suggesting that higher education and normal BMI could provide some resistance to parental aging and cell aging "study said.

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Material provided by Loma Linda Adventist University, Center for Health Sciences. Original written by Janelle Ringer. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.