diff --git a/beacon_chain/beacon_chain_db.nim b/beacon_chain/beacon_chain_db.nim
index ffe734040..a34efd597 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/beacon_chain_db.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/beacon_chain_db.nim
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ proc get[T](db: BeaconChainDB, key: openArray[byte], output: var T): GetResult =
     try:
       let decompressed = snappy.decode(data, maxDecompressedDbRecordSize)
       if decompressed.len > 0:
-        outputPtr[] = SSZ.decode(decompressed, T)
+        outputPtr[] = SSZ.decode(decompressed, T, updateRoot = false)
         status = GetResult.found
       else:
         warn "Corrupt snappy record found in database", typ = name(T)
@@ -164,9 +164,12 @@ proc putTailBlock*(db: BeaconChainDB, key: Eth2Digest) =
 
 proc getBlock*(db: BeaconChainDB, key: Eth2Digest): Opt[TrustedSignedBeaconBlock] =
   # We only store blocks that we trust in the database
-  result.ok(TrustedSignedBeaconBlock(root: key))
+  result.ok(TrustedSignedBeaconBlock())
   if db.get(subkey(SignedBeaconBlock, key), result.get) != GetResult.found:
     result.err()
+  else:
+    # set root after deserializing (so it doesn't get zeroed)
+    result.get().root = key
 
 proc getState*(
     db: BeaconChainDB, key: Eth2Digest, output: var BeaconState,
@@ -214,8 +217,10 @@ iterator getAncestors*(db: BeaconChainDB, root: Eth2Digest):
   ##
   ## The search will go on until the ancestor cannot be found.
 
-  var res: TrustedSignedBeaconBlock
-  res.root = root
-  while db.get(subkey(SignedBeaconBlock, res.root), res) == GetResult.found:
+  var
+    res: TrustedSignedBeaconBlock
+    root = root
+  while db.get(subkey(SignedBeaconBlock, root), res) == GetResult.found:
+    res.root = root
     yield res
-    res.root = res.message.parent_root
+    root = res.message.parent_root
diff --git a/beacon_chain/ssz/bytes_reader.nim b/beacon_chain/ssz/bytes_reader.nim
index 023a31a13..148f7a9c4 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/ssz/bytes_reader.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/ssz/bytes_reader.nim
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ template checkForForbiddenBits(ResulType: type,
     if (input[^1] and forbiddenBitsMask) != 0:
       raiseIncorrectSize ResulType
 
-func readSszValue*[T](input: openarray[byte], val: var T) {.raisesssz.} =
+func readSszValue*[T](input: openarray[byte],
+                      val: var T, updateRoot: bool = true) {.raisesssz.} =
   mixin fromSszBytes, toSszType
 
   template readOffsetUnchecked(n: int): uint32 {.used.}=
@@ -268,6 +269,7 @@ func readSszValue*[T](input: openarray[byte], val: var T) {.raisesssz.} =
           input.toOpenArray(int(startOffset), int(endOffset - 1)))
 
     when val is SignedBeaconBlock | TrustedSignedBeaconBlock:
-      val.root = hash_tree_root(val.message)
+      if updateRoot:
+        val.root = hash_tree_root(val.message)
   else:
     unsupported T
diff --git a/beacon_chain/ssz/ssz_serialization.nim b/beacon_chain/ssz/ssz_serialization.nim
index 4991b83fa..c26563ee4 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/ssz/ssz_serialization.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/ssz/ssz_serialization.nim
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export
 type
   SszReader* = object
     stream: InputStream
+    updateRoot: bool
 
   SszWriter* = object
     stream: OutputStream
@@ -41,8 +42,10 @@ template sizePrefixed*[TT](x: TT): untyped =
   type T = TT
   SizePrefixed[T](x)
 
-proc init*(T: type SszReader, stream: InputStream): T {.raises: [Defect].} =
-  T(stream: stream)
+proc init*(T: type SszReader,
+           stream: InputStream,
+           updateRoot: bool = true): T {.raises: [Defect].} =
+  T(stream: stream, updateRoot: updateRoot)
 
 proc writeFixedSized(s: var (OutputStream|WriteCursor), x: auto) {.raises: [Defect, IOError].} =
   mixin toSszType
@@ -226,11 +229,10 @@ proc readValue*[T](r: var SszReader, val: var T) {.raises: [Defect, MalformedSsz
   when isFixedSize(T):
     const minimalSize = fixedPortionSize(T)
     if r.stream.readable(minimalSize):
-      readSszValue(r.stream.read(minimalSize), val)
+      readSszValue(r.stream.read(minimalSize), val, r.updateRoot)
     else:
       raise newException(MalformedSszError, "SSZ input of insufficient size")
   else:
     # TODO Read the fixed portion first and precisely measure the size of
     # the dynamic portion to consume the right number of bytes.
-    readSszValue(r.stream.read(r.stream.len.get), val)
-
+    readSszValue(r.stream.read(r.stream.len.get), val, r.updateRoot)