Stressed parents passing on damaging DNA to children

STRESSED-OUT parents to be could be passing on damaged DNA to their children and increasing their risk of dying at an earlier age, researchers suspect.

A 1.8 million study has been launched by scientists at Glasgow University to find out what effect stress has on the genetic make-up of the human body and whether any changes are then inherited by offspring. The study, backed by a European Research Council grant, will focus on the role of telomeres, structures that act as a protective shield for chromosomes.

It is known that stress can damage telomeres, shortening their length and leading to an increased susceptibility to the diseases of ageing, such as cancers and heart problems. The research team is trying to find out if damaged telomeres passed on by parents to children could also shorten their lifespan.

They suspect it is possible that even short periods of stress could have far- reaching effects in families at a time when work-related stress is rising due to increased workloads and job insecurity caused by the recession. Stress is now the second-most commonly reported reason for work related ill health, behind musco-skeletal problems.

Professor Pat Monaghan, the research team leader, said the passage of stress-induced changes in telomere length between generations had never been studied before but the impact of such an inherited problem could be far-reaching. "Erosion of the telomeres – how fast they shorten – has a bearing on how fast the individual will age in later life," Monaghan said. "If you start (life] with a shorter telomere length, you have got less to lose. More of the cells in your body would reach the critical point sooner."

The five-year study will be carried out on birds, looking at how living with unpredictable environmental changes, known to be very stressful, can accelerate ageing and reduce life expectancy. But the researchers said the findings will help to provide a picture of what is happening in humans.

Monaghan, from the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, said: "If you have ever thought that stress is killing you, you may well be right.

"Increased levels of stress hormones have many negative health consequences and in this project we will be focusing on one route through which lifespan can be shortened."