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The Jewish Chronicle A study of Holocaust survivors and their children has shown that trauma can be passed on through genes.
The study, led by Rachel Yehuda from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital,
looked at the genes of 32 men and women who directly experienced the
Holocaust - either in a concentration camp or who had to hide during
the Second World War.
According to the research, the survivors’ children had an increased
likelihood of stress-related disorders, as well as low levels of
cortisol, the hormone that regulates the body’s response to stress. Ms
Yehuda said: “The gene changes in the children could only be attributed
to Holocaust exposure in the parents”.
The idea that environmental factors such as smoking or diet can
affect one’s offspring via genetic mutations is known as “epigenetic
inheritance”. [...]
The idea is a controversial one and it is still not fully understood
how these tags are passed on. It was believed that any epigenetic tags
on DNA are ‘wiped clean’ following fertilisation. However, recent
research form Cambridge University has shown that some epigenetic tags
escape this cleaning process.
“To our knowledge, this provides the first demonstration of
transmission of pre-conception stress effects resulting in epigenetic
changes in both the exposed parents and their offspring in humans,” said
Ms Yehuda, whose work was published in Biological Psychiatry.
Marcus Pembrey, emeritus professor of paediatric genetics at
University College London, said: “What we’re getting here is the very
beginnings of a understanding of how one generation responds to the
experiences of the previous generation. It’s fine-tuning the way your
genes respond to the world.”
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