Having many children helps reduce the symptoms of aging
Motherhood is a very beautiful stage. Bringing a new life to the world is one of the experiences that most they fill the soul and also has many more benefits for the mother. It is true that a woman's health suffers during pregnancy and childbirth, but a new study suggests that long-term childbearing helps reduce the symptoms of pregnancy. aging.
Contrary to what you think
Some believe that pregnancy and motherhood they take years of life: sleepless nights, stress because the child is always well, several pains of pregnancy, etc. It is not surprising that with so many symptoms it is believed that the woman's health may suffer during this process and later.
However, a study conducted by the Simon Fraser University suggests that no, that motherhood helps to avoid the symptoms of aging and that more children have less effect on the mother. The motives? Women who perform the most births have telomeres longer than those who have never given birth or who have done it on one occasion.
Telomeres are the elements that appear at the end of each DNA column and that protect the chromosomes from wear and other damage that may affect them. The longer these are, the more secure the genes will be and with it the symptoms of aging will be less than in cases where this chain is shorter.
Estrogen as an antioxidant
To verify their theory, this group of researchers analyzed data from two communities in Guatemala. A total of 75 women They participated in this study for a total of 13 years in which they closely monitored the level of births and the status of their telomeres through tests such as saliva samples and checking their DNA chains. The objective was to check if motherhood had influenced in some way the wear of their genetic chains.
At the end of the investigation, the data corroborated the theory of those responsible for the study. The more children the women had had, the longer their telomeres. For each child born, this area of the DNA chain was 0.059 units longer. With this increase, the shortening that causes the chromosomes to be protected was delayed, making them vulnerable to damage, which is evidence of the aging process of our cells over time.
Among the causes of this reduction in the symptoms of aging is the increase in the estrogen of the mother during pregnancy. "Estrogen acts as a potent antioxidant that protects cells against the shortening of telomeres," explained Pablo Nepomnaschy, lead author of this study, who adds that this work opens the door to others who delve into how pregnancy affects women .
Damián Montero
