They say that sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you. Yet childhood bullying   really can damage your long-term health. Gone are the days when bullying was considered an unavoidable and finally harmless part of growing up -- just last month we learned that childhood bullying can lead to poorer mental health even into middle age. Now William Copeland at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and his colleagues have shown that it can have lasting physiological effects too. They tracked 1,420 nine-year-olds right through their teens. Each child was seen up to nine times during the study and asked about bullying. The team then measured levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood. CRP is a marker of inflammation   linked to higher risk of cardiovascular disease   and problems like diabetes. "Because we were collecting biological samples throughout, we were able to look at CRP levels in subjects _ their bullying involvement." says Copeland. "This really gives us an idea of the changes bullying brings about." Although CRP levels naturally rise in everyone during adolescence, levels were highest in children who reported suffering from bullies. Even at the ages of 19 and 21, children who had once been bullied had CRP levels about 1.4 times higher than peers who were neither wrongdoers nor victims. In a cruel twist, the bullies had the lowest levels of all, suggesting they didn't suffer the same health risks. They may even see a benefit from their behavior, though Copeland stresses it doesn't defend their actions. "The goal would instead be to find other ways to produce this protective effect without it being at someone else's expense." he says. Andrea Danese at King's College London has before shown that ill-treatment during childhood can lead to high levels of inflammation in adult life. "This new study is a helpful addition in showing that these effects extend to another important childhood stressor." he says. He suggests that care workers monitor levels of CRP in children having psychotherapy to see if it is helping to reduce the stress of being bullied. What does the phrase "prior to" in Para.2 mean?
through during after before