Tampere University launches unprecedented study on war-related stress effects across generations in Finland

Tampere University has launched an intriguing interdisciplinary research project investigating the effects of war-related stress on three generations of Finns. This longitudinal study is considered unprecedented globally, according to Associate Professor Emma Raitoharju from Tampere University, due to the exceptionally extensive and detailed data available in Finland.

Researchers in history and molecular biology will collaborate to examine the impact of war trauma. They will explore how epigenetic changes in gene function can be passed down through generations via gametes, potentially affecting descendants’ characteristics. Previous research in this area has primarily involved animal studies.

Raitoharju notes that studies on animals have shown that severe stress experienced by fathers can lead to issues such as obesity, metabolic diseases, and anxiety in offspring. The metabolic syndrome, which presents concurrently with disorders in blood sugar, fats, and blood pressure, supports this concept. Research based on agricultural harvest records has also indicated a correlation between grandfathers’ nutrition and the incidence of diseases in their grandsons. Raitoharju states, “We aim to observe if we still see this shadow of biological warfare in our society.”

The focus of this study is mainly on men, although Raitoharju acknowledges that the impact of women’s war stress is certainly significant, albeit harder to study through blood tests since oocytes exist from birth.

The research is based on service records of Finnish men who served in the army from 1939 to 1945. The study aims to uncover the experiences and wartime roles of these men, particularly looking at losses suffered by their units. The participant group consists of approximately 1,300 men, whose descendants have contributed data to the ongoing Laseri study, which began in the 1980s. The first results from this new research are expected to be released next year.