Psychological trauma received in childhood, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and early death in adulthood. These are the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Scientists have concluded that children who have experienced physical or emotional violence in adulthood, with 50 percent more at risk of cardiovascular disease than those who had no traumatic experience. The risk of dying before they reach old age they was above 60 percent.
Why is this happening? The researchers suggested that the major stress experienced in childhood are more likely to provoke an unhealthy lifestyle – Smoking, overeating. This, in turn, contributes to the development of hypertension, obesity, and diabetes.
However, there are other factors. Children’s traumatic experiences affect the person’s ability to properly deal with stress throughout life, says MedicalXpress. Researchers from Chicago analysed data on more than 3,600, which is being watched in over 30 years.
As it turned out, 20 percent had a traumatic experience in childhood. These study participants with health problems were observed during the many years starting from a young age, long before the impact of an unhealthy lifestyle. The study’s lead author Jacob Pearce believes that one reason for this relationship to be. Childhood is a critical period of brain development. “Exposure to stress activates hormones that are associated with cardiovascular disease. But this is a subject for further research,” he says.
