Health News

Leaving its mark: How frailty impacts the blood

Globally, human society is aging. A side-effect of this is that age-related disorders, such as frailty, are becoming increasingly common. Frailty includes not only physical disabilities, but also a decline in cognitive function and an increase in various social problems. The prevalence of this disorder among those aged 65 and over is estimated at 120 […]

Personal Health

Assisted reproduction technology leaves its mark on genes temporarily, study shows

Any effect that assisted reproduction technology has on babies’ genes is largely corrected by adulthood, new research led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has found. Published in the latest edition of Nature Communications, the study found events that occur in early development, including ovarian stimulation, manipulation of the embryo and the extra hormones common […]

Personal Health

Poverty leaves a mark on our genes

A new Northwestern University study challenges prevailing understandings of genes as immutable features of biology that are fixed at conception. Previous research has shown that socioeconomic status (SES) is a powerful determinant of human health and disease, and social inequality is a ubiquitous stressor for human populations globally. Lower educational attainment and/or income predict increased […]