The fact that increased stress has an adverse effect on genes is a matter confirmed by numerous research. For instance, a study conducted by Powell et al. (2013) revealed that increased exposure to social stress might lead to an increased number of inflammatory diseases. In other words, stress affects the sympathetic nervous system and changes the way genes activate immune cells. The results of the research lead to the assumption that stress can affect any genes and even transform the genes of future generations.
In fact, Coghlan (2013) states that numerous DNA analysis of mice confirms the existence of epigenetic inheritance. The notion refers to the fact that “the genetic impacts of environmental factors such as smoking, diet, stressed childhoods, famine, and psychiatric disease can be passed down to future generations” (Coghlan, 2013, para. 2). This practically means that the experiences of our grandparents can affect our choices and health issues even after hundreds of years.
References
Coghlan, A. (2013). Stress can affect future generations’ genes. Web.
Powell, N., Sloan, E., Bailey, M., Arevalo, J., Miller, G., & Chen, E., … Cole, S. W. (2013). Social stress up-regulates inflammatory gene expression in the leukocyte transcriptome via adrenergic induction of myelopoiesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(41), 16574-16579. Web.