New Study Links Childhood Trauma to Faster Cellular Ageing and Health Risks - Video

Experiencing adversity during childhood may leave a lasting biological imprint that changes how the body's cells produce energy well into adulthood, according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry. Researchers found that while these cellular changes may initially help the body cope with stress, they could become harmful over time and contribute to poorer physical and mental health.

The study included more than 140 adult men and women who completed questionnaires about adverse childhood experiences and provided blood samples for laboratory testing. Researchers then performed a "stress test" on living cells to examine how their mitochondria—the tiny structures responsible for producing energy inside cells—responded under stress.

The findings showed that adults who experienced greater early-life adversity had mitochondria with a higher respiratory capacity, meaning their cells could generate more energy when exposed to stress. Researchers believe this "hypermetabolic" state may help cells respond rapidly to challenging situations. However, if mitochondria remain in this heightened state for years, they may become overworked, potentially accelerating cellular damage and increasing the risk of age-related diseases.

The researchers also found that different types of childhood adversity affected mitochondrial function in distinct ways. Experiences involving threat, such as abuse or violence, were associated with lower routine energy production while maintaining the ability to respond to future stress. In contrast, experiences involving deprivation, such as neglect or lack of basic resources, were linked to less efficient energy production, suggesting greater cellular dysfunction.

The study also found that people with greater cumulative childhood adversity had lower ATP production through glycolysis—a process cells use to generate energy—and greater maximal respiratory capacity, indicating that mitochondria may shift how they produce energy after prolonged stress.

Although the findings do not prove that childhood adversity directly causes long-term health problems, they provide new insight into how early-life experiences may become biologically embedded.

REFERENCE: Cleveland S, Carroll J, Montoya A, et al; Early-Life Adversity and Mitochondrial Function: Comparing Cumulative Risk and Dimensional Models of Adversity; Biological Psychiatry, 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2026.04.006