A recent study from the Columbia Ageing Center, which was published in the journal PNAS, discovered a connection between a person’s number of pregnancies and accelerated biological ageing.
The study, which took place in the Philippines, analyzed chemical tags affixed to the participants’ DNA to ascertain their biological ages using a range of techniques.
According to scientists, these tags primarily regulate which genes are triggered, which in turn affects the individual’s physical well-being. Put differently, the scientists developed what they dubbed “epigenetic clocks” that calculate an individual’s biological age based on their likelihood of dying or developing age-related illnesses.
Specifics of the research
To determine each person’s biological age, researchers examined DNA samples and reproductive histories from over 1,735 people. Utilizing DNA methylation patterns—which employ methyl groups to activate DNA strands and then forecast how those strands impact chromosomal structure—they were able to determine this age.
The goal of the study was to comprehend the impact of pregnancy on 825 young women, despite the fact that it included both men and women.
It’s intriguing, according to scientists, that the women showed signs and symptoms of an extra two to three months of biological ageing for every pregnancy that was recorded.
Because the research followed the same group of women over an extended period of time, its primary author, Calen Ryan, said that it was unique in its kind.
It must be acknowledged that a higher percentage of recorded pregnancies occurred in late adolescence. These pregnancies may thus have had a more significant effect on a person’s physique.
A few research constraints
Similar to the previous point, the study’s primary flaw was that it only included a sample size of people from a single nation, making it vulnerable to the effect of variables like adequate nutrition and the support of friends and family during pregnancy.
In a research such as this one, it is important to note that these variables would strongly alter the effects of pregnancy.
Additionally, older women and their biological aging may be less affected by the pregnancy. The authors acknowledge that in order to determine if early indicators of accelerated biological aging might be detected, the team had to examine younger subjects.
For the time being, the research highlights how little we know about the relationship between pregnancy and physical health.
But it’s crucial to realize that the term “accelerated biological ageing” is linked to disease, and according to Ryan, the data does not always support the idea that aging more quickly.