• Childhood trauma and genetics linked to

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wed Mar 9 21:30:50 2022
    Childhood trauma and genetics linked to increased obesity risk
    New study shows strong influence of genes and environment on human health


    Date:
    March 9, 2022
    Source:
    Desert Research Institute
    Summary:
    New research has found associations between genetics, obesity, and
    childhood trauma, linking social health determinants, genetics, and
    disease. The study found that participants with specific genetic
    traits and who experience childhood traumas are more likely to
    suffer from adult obesity.



    FULL STORY ==========================================================================
    New research from the Healthy Nevada Project(R) found associations
    between genetics, obesity, and childhood trauma, linking social health determinants, genetics, and disease. The study, which was published this
    week in Frontiers in Genetics, found that participants with specific
    genetic traits and who experience childhood traumas are more likely to
    suffer from adult obesity.


    ==========================================================================
    In 2016, DRI and Renown Health launched the Healthy Nevada Project(R),
    the nation's first community-based, population health study, which now
    has more than 60,000 participants. The project is a collaboration with
    personal genomics company, Helix, and combines genetic, environmental,
    social, and clinical data to address individual and community health
    needs with the goal of improving health across the state and the nation.

    The new study focuses on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which
    are traumatic and unsafe events that children endure by the age of
    18. Over 16,000 participants in the Healthy Nevada Project(R) answered
    a mental health survey, and more than 65 percent of these individuals self-reported at least one ACE occurrence. These 16,000 participants were cross-referenced with their genetic makeup, and clinical Body Mass Index
    (BMI) measures.

    According to the research team's findings, study participants who had experienced one or more types of ACE were 1.5 times more likely to become
    obese adults. Participants who experienced four or more ACEs were more
    than twice as likely to become severely obese.

    "Understanding that Adverse Childhood Experiences, like abuse, poverty,
    food insecurity, and poor relationships with primary caregivers increase
    a person's risk for obesity but also interact with your genetics --
    are key to understanding how we might provide earlier interventions,
    help reduce health disparities, and create a Healthier Nevada for all,"
    said Tony Slonim, MD, DrPH, President & CEO of Renown Health. Slonim, CEO
    of Reno, NV-based Renown Health, is the first quadruple-board-certified
    doctor in the United States with certifications in adult critical care, internal medicine, pediatric critical care, and pediatrics and holds a Doctorate in Public Health.

    "Our analysis showed a steady increase in BMI for each ACE a person experienced, which indicates a very strong and significant association
    between the number of adverse childhood experiences and adult obesity,"
    said lead author Karen Schlauch, Ph.D., of DRI. "More importantly, participants' BMI reacted even more strongly to the occurrence of
    ACEs when paired with certain mutations in several genes, one of
    which is strongly associated with schizophrenia." "We know that
    genetics affect disease in the Healthy Nevada Project(R) [https:/ /pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31888951/], and now we are recognizing that
    ACEs also affect disease," said Healthy Nevada Project(R) Principal Investigator Joseph Grzymski, Ph.D., of DRI and Renown Health. "Our
    new study shows that the combination of genes and environmental factors
    like ACEs, as well as many social determinants of health, can lead to
    more serious health outcomes than either variable alone. More broadly,
    this new work emphasizes how important it is for population genetic
    studies to consider the impact of social determinants on health outcomes."


    ==========================================================================
    The study team believes that it is important for clinical caregivers to understand the strong impact that negative childhood experiences such as
    ACEs can have on both child and adult health. The researchers hope the information from this study will encourage doctors and nurses to conduct
    simple screenings for ACEs and consider a patient's social environment
    and history in combination with genetics when developing treatment plans
    for better patient health.

    According to the 2019 Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS), 25.6 percent of
    Washoe County teenagers are overweight or obese. Obesity is a serious
    health concern for children and adolescents. According to the Centers
    for Disease Control and Prevention, obese children and adolescents are
    more likely to become obese as adults.

    "Obese and overweight children and adolescents are at risk for multiple
    health problems during their youth, which are likely to be more severe as adults," said Max J. Coppes, MD, PhD, MBA, FAAP, Nell J Redfield Chair of Pediatrics at the University of Nevada Reno School of Medicine, Physician
    in Chief of Renown Children's Hospital. "Obese and overweight youth are
    more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases,
    such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Losing weight, in addition to a healthy diet, helps to prevent and control
    multiple chronic diseases and improves quality of life for a lifetime."
    "We'd like to thank all of the Healthy Nevada Project(R) participants
    who provided information to make our work possible," said Robert Read,
    M.S., of DRI. "Our research illustrates that it's not just genetics
    that cause disease, but that our environment and life experiences
    interact with our genes to impact our health in ways that we are only
    beginning to understand." Many thanks to Renown Health, the Stacie
    Mathewson Behavioral Health and Addiction Institute, and the Center for
    Genomic Medicine at DRI for supporting this significant work. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the world's largest community-based
    genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project(R). For more information, visit renown.org.



    ==========================================================================
    More information: The full text of the study, The Impact of
    ACEs on BMI: An Investigation of the Genotype-Environment
    Effects of BMI, is available from Frontiers in Genetics: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2022.816660/full This project was funded by the Stacie Mathewson Behavioral Health and Addiction Institute, Renown Health, and the Renown Health Foundation. Study authors included Karen Schlauch (DRI), Robert Read (DRI), Iva Neveux (DRI),
    Bruce Lipp (DRI), Anthony Slonim (Renown Health), and Joseph Grzymski (DRI/Renown Health).

    For more information on the Healthy Nevada Project(R), please visit:
    https:// healthynv.org/

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Desert_Research_Institute. Note:
    Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Karen A. Schlauch, Robert W. Read, Iva Neveux, Bruce Lipp, Anthony
    Slonim, Joseph J. Grzymski. The Impact of ACEs on BMI: An
    Investigation of the Genotype-Environment Effects of BMI. Frontiers
    in Genetics, 2022; 13 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.816660 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220309140938.htm

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