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My Favorite Hand-Me-Down Genes
Courtesy of the Shedden family
Reporter Mary Shedden and daughter Julia, 8; and Julia with her grandmother, Helen.
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Published: May 9, 2008
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Helen Shedden at about 10
My mom has great genes, and she has been kind enough to share.
Physical traits - her glowing blue eyes, fair skin, freckles, hair color and a nose a few people have mistaken as broken - were dominant enough to get trapped in my DNA helix when I was born. And for the most part, I'm thrilled. My three siblings also caught their own blend of Helen Ritchie Shedden's beauty to remind us from where we came.
And it is obvious parts transferred to the next generation. That was most evident when my brother uncovered a childhood picture of Mom for her 80th birthday celebration last year. The image, taken in the late 1930s, is of Mom at about age 10. The resemblance to my almost 9-year-old daughter is remarkable, and it reminds me how much my mother has influenced my own external - and internal - makeup.
The 23 chromosomes moms contribute - and another 23 donated from dads - influence everything from an offspring's gender to eye color. They're also a factor for understanding whether you're at risk for diseases such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says genetics play a bigger part if your parents have or had diseases that:
•occurred 10 to 20 years earlier than they do in most people.
•appeared in other close relatives.
•don't usually affect a certain gender, such as breast cancer in a male.
•occurred in combination within the family, such as heart disease and diabetes.
Biology, however, has nothing to do with how children develop their body image, says Eboni Baugh, a family life professor at the University of Florida. The level of nurturing a child gets and the way Mom reacts to her own body image can be what makes a child appreciate or loathe the way he or she looks.
"Mothers are the epitome of nurture, so they get a lot of the blame," Baugh says. "Parents, especially mothers, can keep daughters from internalizing those negative body images."
It's important for moms to model healthy behavior, Baugh says. Mothers who make healthy food choices can create lifetime habits for their children. Baugh points to research that shows that children who eat family meals are at lower risk for obesity, eating disorders, substance abuse and even delinquency.
She laughs when mentioning an example of this behavior: 1950s TV shows such as "Leave It to Beaver." Apron-clad June Cleaver's ability to get Wally, Ward and the Beaver together for a family meal may have steered the boys clear of a life of crime.
"Who would have thought the Cleavers had it right?"
WHAT DID YOUR MOM GIVE YOU?
This Mother's Day, look at the gifts that special lady gave your DNA.
Your body, in part, is a testament to the woman who gave birth to you. Some days you thank your lucky stars. Other times, you worry about facing maladies similar to those she faced.
The fact is, Mom's genetics, disposition and style of parenting do play a significant role, as do dear old Dad's. But there are plenty of other factors under your control. Here are some facts about Mommy Dearest to put it all in context:
HAIR: If you're a guy and have a head full of hair, credit Mom. Male pattern baldness is a sex-linked characteristic passed from mother to child, according to the National Library of Medicine. A man can best predict his chances by looking at men on his mother's side of the family.
EYE COLOR: Mom and Dad donated one characteristic each to every gene in your body. Those characteristics, which can be dominant or recessive, are behind your baby blue eyes or curly blond hair. If both parents carry similar traits, it's likely a baby will get them, too.
MENTAL ILLNESS: The prevalence of mental illness in a family does not prove the heredity of mental illness, according to the National Mental Health Information Center. Because families share genes and environmental influences, there is no easy way to separate the two. That being said, children who are exposed to a parent's mental illness are likely to be more at risk for problems. For example, a 2005 study of depressed mothers found that their children had significantly higher levels of antisocial behavior.
HEART DISEASE: Heart disease anywhere in your family is a huge red flag. "Just as you can't control your age, sex and race, you can't control your family history," according to the American Heart Association.
BREAST CANCER: About 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancer cases are thought to be linked to a parent's genetic makeup, according to the American Cancer Society. As some tumor-suppressor genes linked to breast cancer have been identified, some women can undergo genetic testing to see whether they need to take steps to find or combat cancer at an earlier stage.
OVARIAN CANCER: Although reproductive, demographic and lifestyle factors are important, "the single greatest risk factor is family history of the disease," according to the National Cancer Institute. A parent's genetic predisposition increases the risk to 50 percent.
BODY SHAPE AND WEIGHT: Your apple or pear body shape that came from Mom may provide clues about your risk for obesity, researchers of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston said in 2006. They found links between genes and body fat inside the abdomen versus under the skin. But don't think it's just one gene that's to blame. This year, researchers at Philadelphia's Monell Center found that more than 6,000 genes - or 25 percent of your body total - contribute to a person's weight.
HEIGHT: This is closely linked to parents, researchers at Germany's Institute for Demographic Research told The New York Times. Compare your parents' height with the current average, and that will almost certainly explain your adult height.
LONGEVITY: Mom has little to do with how long you'll be here on Earth. Extensive studies involving families with twins shows parental life spans may affect as little as 3 percent of your longevity. And if you're playing the averages, the National Center for Health Statistics says men today die at 68.5 years, women at 76.1 years.
ALZHEIMER'S: A mom with Alzheimer's disease appears to be a bigger risk factor than having a father afflicted with the mysterious brain disorder, researchers at New York University School of Medicine found late last year. The study found that individuals with an afflicted mother had a more reduced brain metabolism than others.
DIABETES: Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have strong hereditary ties, but genes are not enough, the American Diabetes Association says. You still need environmental triggers, such as a fat-and-carbohydrate-rich diet that can lead to obesity.
OSTEOPOROSIS: Does either of your parents have a history of broken bones? Has either parent shrunk in stature or had a spine that curves forward? The National Osteoporosis Foundation says that if the answer is yes, you're likely to have a problem, too.
MORE HELP
U.S. Surgeon General Family History Initiative
National Society for Genetic Counselors
Want to share your health and fitness idea? Contact me at (813) 259-7365 or mshedden@tampatrib.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( flaborn ) on May 10, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
My grandaughter looks just like me. Makes me very happy.
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