Violence ages children's DNA, shortens their chromosomes
Conventional wisdom says that hardship can make us old before
our time. In fact, a new study suggests that violence leaves
long-term scars on children's bodies — not just in bruises on
the skin, but also altering their DNA, causing changes that are
equivalent to seven to 10 years of premature aging. Scientists
measured this cellular aging by studying the ends of children's
chromosomes, called telomeres, according to Idan Shalev, lead
author of a study in today's Molecular Psychiatry. Telomeres are
special DNA sequences that act like the plastic tips on
shoelaces, which prevent the DNA in chromosomes from unraveling.
They get shorter each time a cell divides, until a cell can't
divide anymore and it dies. Several factors have been found to
shorten telomeres, including smoking, radiation and
psychological stresses such as early life maltreatment and
taking care of a chronically ill person. In this study,
researchers examined whether exposure to violence c