The scientific evidence is crystal clear: Early experiences literally shape the architecture of the developing brain…. But here’s something that’s less well-known by the public: Since the brain is connected to the rest of the body, early experiences affect all of our biological systems, for better or worse, beginning in utero and all the crucial years that follow.
This broader message is sending an important wake-up call: We all need to start paying closer attention to the science that explains how excessive adversity can undermine lifelong health as well as early learning. This knowledge can help us better understand why people of color in the United States are at greater risk of developing chronic medical conditions and aging prematurely than white people.
Much of the public debate about disparities in health outcomes focuses on unequal access to medical care, unequal treatment in the health-care system, and the impacts of lifestyles and individual responsibility in adulthood.
But science is telling us that preventing or mitigating the effects of adverse experiences and exposures in early childhood might be as important for long-term health as the conditions in which we live as adults and the medical care we receive.
