Weernieuws During pregnancy, are exposed to high temperatures, can lead to a biological deterioration of the child’s life. That’s according to research conducted at the university college.

“We have found that the heat and the length of the ‘telomeres’ of the newborn’s reduced,” says dr. Dries Martens. “Telomeres are like the ends of our chromosomes, and their length will determine the life span of the cell. The shorter length may cause a reduction in life expectancy.”

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From a previous national survey, we showed that the temperature, during pregnancy, is linked to the survival of the new-born infant, but the university college researchers have been able to do that for the first time, a biological interpretation. “We have made a correlation between the heat and the length of the telomere, which is now a part of the puzzle and can solve the problem,” says prof. dr. Tim Nawrot.

For the study, researchers are within the age of birth cohort of about 1,100 babies followed. The analysis of umbilical cord blood showed that the telomeerlengte varied among the children, and that exposure to heat is here with a clear role in the story. “Very specifically, we found that the length of the telomeres, on average, 1.5 percent went down one degree at a time that the weekly temperatures during pregnancy and rose to the top of the to 19.5 degrees Celsius. This could add up to more than 3 percent shorter telomeres and, in the last few weeks of pregnancy,” said dr. He She of.