One of my favorite memories as a kiddo was spending time with my granny in Kentucky-
not only did she teach me how to shuck corn, she made the BEST chocolate gravy.
Yes...that’s a thing.
But did you know grandparents are unique and that most other species don’t have them?
Hello, it’s Natalia for DNews!
From “to grandmother’s house we go” to “grandmother got run over by a reindeer”-
grandparents are an integral part of holiday celebrations!
This is the time of year that extended families make the pilgrimage to their elders.
But in a world where most other animals begin to mentally deteriorate and die once they
reach the end of their reproductive rope, why do humans continue on to grow old and
become grandparents?
A few animals, such as dolphins, whales and humans DO have grandparents which play a key
role in caring for their grandkids.
And new studies show that there are gene variants that protect against Alzheimer’s disease
found in some humans that allow them to continue contributing to their families long after
they’re done producing offspring.
Past studies have linked two versions of the gene CD33 to the development of Alzheimer’s
disease, however a variant or allele of CD33 has been discovered that actually protects
against the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
This interests scientists because humans, unlike most mammals, continue to live well-past
our reproductive years.
And living past our ‘prime’ allows humans to contribute to the success of our grandkids
by handing down knowledge, supplying food, and being cost efficient babysitters while
parents tend to other duties...or children.
This means humans having grandparents gives our species an evolutionary advantage when
it comes to having multiple children in shorter intervals.
However, those grandparents who DO develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can have
the opposite effect on a mother raising multiple children- they become more of a burden.
Though there’s no proof this gene variant was naturally selected for- it could very
well have been selected for randomly.
And not everyone has this gene variant, however, learning more about this variant allows researchers
to develop drugs that mimic the variant and help protect patients against the effects
of Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings may support the popular ‘grandmother hypothesis’.
The ‘grandmother hypothesis’ was first introduced in 1997 by anthropologist Kristen
Hawkes after she worked with the Hazda, hunter-gathers in Tanzania.
While working with this group of foragers, she noticed that grandmothers played an integral
part in feeding their grandchildren, allowing the mothers to tend to her other children.
This assistance over time has allowed women to have more children in shorter intervals,
increasing her fecundity.
In 2012 study by Hawkes has been able to further support the ‘grandmother hypothesis’ through
computer simulations that prove that a little grandmothering over time can increase a species
lifespan by years.
However, grandkids aren’t the only ones benefitting from having Bubbie and PopPop
around.
Studies have shows that grandparents who actually spend time with their grandkids, remain mentally
alert and physically active long after they had their own kiddos.
Studies show that post-menopausal grandmas who spend time with their grandkids have a
decreased chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive disorders.
But the study also showed that grandmas who spend too much time with their grandkids had
greater cognitive impairments and felt their children were too demanding with their childcare
needs.
So, somewhere in between there’s a happy medium of grandkid/grandparent interaction!
Something to consider is that nowadays grandkids don’t always live in close proximity with
their grandparents so both the grandkids AND the grandparents potentially miss out on the
benefits of interacting with one another.
A study released by the National Academy of the Sciences showed that older men and women
who spent long periods away from their family had a 26% higher risk of death in a seven
year period than those individuals who were more engaged with their loved ones.
Thus, by you spending time with your grandparents you may be extending their life...how’s
that for that pressure?
Grandparents are most definitely grand.
And unique!
So be sure to give yours an extra hug this holiday season.
And if they have departed- raise a glass to them and thank them for their contribution
to your survival!