Wisconsin Public Radio: Lack of childhood nurturing linked to accelerated aging
Study: Lack of childhood nurturing linked to accelerated aging
Article by Hope Kirwan // Wisconsin Public Radio
A new study by a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that a lack of nurturing as a child is associated with accelerated aging later in life.
The research looks at changes to a person’s genome that have been linked to their environment or behaviors — what’s called epigenetics. These markers can indicate a person’s biological age, or how much their body has aged physically.
Lauren Schmitz, professor at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs, said the field of research around these epigenetic changes is still new because data is limited. Studies require both survey data on people’s health experiences and a blood sample.
“Adverse experiences in childhood may have long-reaching effects on population health.”