Many children are named cause of accelerated aging
Scientists at northwestern University (USA) concluded that women with several children, there are signs of accelerated cellular aging. About it reported in a press release on MedicalXpress.
The study involved about a thousand Filipino women aged 20-22 years. Under this 102 women had two children and 28 with three children. A total of 507 participants were never pregnant, the other two had only one child. Scientists have studied they are the biological markers of aging, such as telomere length and epigenetic age, that is, the number of epigenetic changes, which usually increases with age.
It turned out that every birth of a child caused cellular changes equivalent to aging, on the average, on 0,5−2 years.
Thus, the telomere “aging” 0.34 to 3.67 years, and epigenetic age increased by 0.29 to 0.63. Although early pregnancy has a stronger effect on the shortening of telomeres, especially in those women who became pregnant in adolescence.
However, scientists say that during the pregnancy the epigenetic status of the cells does not show signs of aging.
This indicates the existence of immunological and physiological changes that occur during fetal development, which include a rise in estrogen and changes in the composition of immune cells. Estrogen can lower the level of oxidative stress and protect the telomeres from damage.
In his article, the researchers point to the existence of some shortcomings in the experiment that may affect the result. Experts do not exclude certain socio-environmental factors that may moderately affect cellular senescence, and number of children. In addition, the indicators of cell aging can be particularly susceptible to pregnancy at a young age, not more Mature.