Childhood Stress Linked to Chronic Disease Risk
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Childhood Stress Strongly Linked to Adverse adult Health
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New research has found a strong link between higher stress in children and adverse health conditions for them later in life.
In an article in the journal PNAS, the study used measurable metrics of health over time to create a more quantitative view of how stress early in life affects health.
“We’ve had an idea for a long time, since the ’80s at least, that when children have adversity in their lives, it affects how their bodies work, not just psychologically, but also physiologically. It gets underneath the skin, and it becomes embodied in the way your body handles stress,” says coauthor Herman Pontzer, principal investigator with the Pontzer Lab and professor in the evolutionary anthropology department at Duke university.
Understanding Allostatic Load
The researchers focused on allostatic load (AL), wich refers to the “wear and tear” on the body because of chronic stress. Allostatic load isn’t simply the presence of stress, but the body’s *response* to it over time. Repeated activation of stress response systems can lead to dysregulation and ultimately, health problems. This differs from homeostasis, which is the body’s attempt to maintain stability.Allostatic load represents the cost of achieving that stability when faced with ongoing challenges.
The researchers “tested associations between childhood AL and adult cardiometabolic health,” relying on biomarkers that included antibodies of C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation in the body; and the epstein-Barr virus, which is common and highly contagious; body mass index; and blood pressure.
Key Findings & Data
Analysis by lead author Elena Hinz, a PhD student in the Pontzer Lab at Duke, showed that a child’s stress levels, as young as 9 to 11 years old, is an indicator of their cardio and metabolic health later in life. The study found a statistically significant correlation between higher childhood allostatic load and increased risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.
| Biomarker | Description | Association with Childhood Stress (AL) |
|---|---|---|
| C-Reactive Protein (CRP) | Marker of inflammation in the body | Higher AL correlated with |