Physical punishment increases the risk of cancer in children
Physical punishment increases the risk of cancer in children
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Discussions about the admissibility of physical punishment of children among child psychologists have been going on for a long time. Canadian researchers made their contribution to the discussion. According to experts, parents, who grab onto the belt at every opportunity, should carefully reconsider their position. The fact is that such treatment sharply increases the risk of oncology in a child in the future.

Even after adjusting for other factors, such as childhood stress, adult socioeconomic status and lifestyle, smoking and alcohol use, the association between cancer risk and childhood abuse was significant.

It is already known that domestic violence, for example, increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by an average of 70%, Izvestia reports. If, in addition to beatings, a child is subjected to sexual harassment, neglect, malnutrition, etc., this risk can rise to 350%.

One of the versions explaining this relationship is dysfunction in the production of the hormone cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, which can result from the experience of violence.

“In our opinion, further study of cortisol - one of the most important hormones that helps us to respond to danger - it is no coincidence that it is called 'fight or flight', can clarify this connection,” says Dr. Sarah Brennenstahl, commenting on the publication of the report in the latest issue of Cancer magazine. - Cortisol plays a key role in the body's defense responses to stress and hunger, regulating a whole cascade of biochemical reactions. Perhaps it is the disruption in the production of this hormone in children exposed to prolonged violence that will reveal the connection between it and the risk of developing cancer."

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