Can stress alter our genetic makeup? It’s a question that has prompted researchers in Denver and New Zealand to study the effects of higher cortisol levels in participants due to give birth. The participants, 64 Kiwi women from New Zealand were selected to represent the indigenous Maori community and were asked to answer a series of questions in relation to their experiences with assault and racism. [1]
Cortisol levels are a standard way to measure the levels of stress within the body. Moderate levels of the hormone are healthy and essential to keeping our bodies motivated and alert throughout the day. But as the study author, Denver’s anthropologist, Zeneta M. Thayer explains, by night fall, the body should be experiencing a reduction of the cortisol levels in order to prepare for a good night’s sleep.
The purpose of the study, which can be found in Social Sciences and Medicine January edition[2], is to determine if those suffering ethnic discriminations will exhibit higher-than-average levels of the cortisol stress hormone, and if so, will they pass this on to their unborn child? The questions pose then, as to their consequences on the infant later in life; such as mood disorders and cardiovascular disease down the track.
Thayer says the study will help broaden the understanding of epigenetic impact (which can also include smoking and diet), on maternal health, which is the environmental factors demonstrating a changing influence on our genes.
[1] Fisher, T. (2015, January 13). The Untold Cost of Discrimination We’re Passing on to Our Kids. [Science.Mic]. Retrieved from http://mic.com/articles/108376/the-untold-cost-of-discrimination-we-re-passing-on-to-our-kids
[2] Thayer, Z. M., & Kuzawa, C. W. (2015) Ethnic discrimination predicts poor self-rated health and cortisol in pregnancy: Insights from New Zealand. Volume 28. [Social Sciences & Medicine.] Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615000040
this is true ,investegate all and decide based on logic and feeling