The Clock Is Ticking

A study suggests that the ageing clock begins ticking even before we are born.

16:50 08 March 2016

A recent study has concluded that some types of cell damage can be prevented in pregnant women so their children will age more slowly in adulthood.

 

In an experiment using rats to model foetal development, it was found that the level of oxygen given to pregnant rats dictated the rate of which their offspring aged as adults. Researchers measured the length of telomeres in blood vessels of adult laboratory rats born from mothers who were not fed antioxidants during normal or complicated pregnancy.

 

The study found that adult rats born from mothers who had less oxygen during pregnancy had shorter telomeres than rats born after uncomplicated pregnancies. They also showed signs of risks of developing heart disease earlier than normal.

Even the offspring born after complicated pregnancies, when the foetus was given enough level of oxygen, benefited from a maternal diet antioxidants.

 

The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the FASEB Journal. It was conducted by an international team led by the University of Cambridge.