PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Children of lower socioeconomic status grow up more susceptible to catching colds, Carnegie Mellon researchers find

2013-11-01
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Shilo Rea
shilo@cmu.edu
412-268-6094
Carnegie Mellon University
Children of lower socioeconomic status grow up more susceptible to catching colds, Carnegie Mellon researchers find

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have found an association between lower socioeconomic status during childhood and adolescence and the length of telomeres, protective cap-like protein complexes at the end of chromosomes, that ultimately affects the susceptibility to colds in middle-aged adults.

Published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, the study showed that children and teens with parents of lower socioeconomic status have shorter telomeres as adults. Telomere length is a biomarker of aging with telomeres shortening with age. As a cell's telomeres shorten, it loses its ability to function normally and eventually dies. Having shorter telomeres is connected to the early onset of illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, with mortality in older adults and, as CMU's Sheldon Cohen first discovered, predicts susceptibility to acute infectious disease in young to midlife adults. This new research now links low childhood socioeconomic status to shorter telomeres and an increased susceptibility to the common cold.

"This provides valuable insight into how our childhood environments can influence our adult health," said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology in CMU's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

In the study, Cohen and his team measured the telomere lengths of white blood cells from 152 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55. To gauge childhood and current socioeconomic status, the participants reported whether they currently own their home and whether their parents owned the family home when they were between the ages of 1 and 18. They were then exposed to a rhinovirus, which causes a common cold, and quarantined for five days to see if they actually developed an upper respiratory infection.

The results showed that participants with lower childhood socioeconomic status — indicated by fewer years that their parents were homeowners — had shorter than average telomere length. Telomere length decreased by 5 percent for each year the participants' parents did not own a home. The researchers also found that parental homeownership in both early childhood and adolescence were both associated with adult telomere length.

The participants with lower childhood socioeconomic status were also more likely to become infected by the cold virus. Specifically, for each year their parents did not own a home during their childhood years up to age 18, the participants' odds of developing a cold increased by 9 percent.

"We have found initial evidence for a biological explanation of the importance of childhood experiences on adult health," Cohen said. "The association we found in young and midlife adults suggests why those raised by parents of relatively low socioeconomic status may be at increased risk for disease throughout adulthood."



INFORMATION:

In addition to Cohen, the research team included CMU's Denise Janicki-Deverts; the University of Virginia Health Science Center's Ronald B. Turner; the University of Pittsburgh's Anna L. Marsland; Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh's Margaretha L. Casselbrant, Ha-Sheng Li-Korotky and William J. Doyle; and the University of California San Francisco's Elissa S. Epel.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine funded this research.

For more information, visit http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~scohen/.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Patients with heart failure need specialist care

2013-11-01
Patients with heart failure need specialist care New research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that patients with heart failure have high mortality and often are undertreated. According to a study, published in the scientific periodical JACC, many more ...

New IOF review provides guidance on fracture prevention in cancer-associated bone disease

2013-11-01
New IOF review provides guidance on fracture prevention in cancer-associated bone disease International Osteoporosis Foundation Working Group outlines guidelines, treatment options and care pathways to help prevent osteoporosis and fractures in cancer ...

Nationwide disparities of deaths reported to coroners

2013-11-01
Nationwide disparities of deaths reported to coroners A LEADING detective turned university researcher has discovered huge nationwide disparities in the numbers of deaths reported to coroners. It could mean that in some areas, inquests into unnaturaldeaths ...

Double-pronged attack could treat common children's cancer

2013-11-01
Double-pronged attack could treat common children's cancer A dual-pronged strategy using two experimental cancer drugs together could successfully treat a childhood cancer by inhibiting tumour growth and blocking off the escape routes it uses to become resistant ...

Sugar intake is not directly related to liver disease

2013-11-01
Sugar intake is not directly related to liver disease Despite current beliefs, sugar intake is not directly associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological ...

LSUHSC simulation or team training improves performance & patient safety

2013-11-01
LSUHSC simulation or team training improves performance & patient safety New Orleans, LA – A study conducted by an inter-professional team of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans faculty found that simulation-based operating room team training ...

Neuroscientists determine how treatment for anxiety disorders silences fear neurons

2013-11-01
Neuroscientists determine how treatment for anxiety disorders silences fear neurons Study in mice may aid in the development of more effective treatments for anxiety disorders BOSTON (October 31, 2013, 12 noon ET) — Excessive fear can ...

Pitt treats gum disease by bringing needed immune cells to inflamed tissue

2013-11-01
Pitt treats gum disease by bringing needed immune cells to inflamed tissue PITTSBURGH, Nov. 1, 2013 – The red, swollen and painful gums and bone destruction of periodontal disease could be effectively treated by beckoning the ...

GenSeq: Updated nomenclature for genetic sequences to solve taxonomic determination issues

2013-11-01
GenSeq: Updated nomenclature for genetic sequences to solve taxonomic determination issues An improved and expanded nomenclature for genetic sequences is introduced that corresponds with a ranking of the reliability of the taxonomic identification of the source specimens. ...

Problem of gender differences on physics assessments remains unsolved

2013-11-01
Problem of gender differences on physics assessments remains unsolved The mystery of why women consistently score lower than men on common assessments of conceptual understanding of physics remains poorly understood In a new synthesis of past work, researchers found ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

The playbook for perfect polaritons

‘Disease in a dish’ study of progressive MS finds critical role for unusual type of brain cell

Solar-powered method lights the way to a ‘de-fossilized’ chemical industry

Screen time linked to lower academic achievement among Ontario elementary students

One-year outcomes after traumatic brain injury and early extracranial surgery in the TRACK-TBI Study

Enduring outcomes of COVID-19 work absences on the US labor market

Affirmative action repeal and racial and ethnic diversity in us medical school admissions

Cancer progression illuminated by new multi-omics tool

Screen time and standardized academic achievement tests in elementary school

GLP-1RA order fills and out-of-pocket costs by race, ethnicity, and indication

Study finds HEPA purifiers alone may not be enough to reduce viral exposure in schools

UVA Health developing way to ID people at risk of dangerous lung scarring even before symptoms appear

How can we know when curing cancer causes myocarditis?

Male infertility in Indian men linked to lifestyle choices and hormonal imbalances

[Press-News.org] Children of lower socioeconomic status grow up more susceptible to catching colds, Carnegie Mellon researchers find