Childhood allostatic load predicts cardiometabolic health in adulthood.

ABSTRACT: Allostatic load (AL) measures multisystem physiological functioning to reflect the cumulative burden of chronic stress. Incurring AL during sensitive developmental periods such as childhood may affect health outcomes later in life, but longitudinal measures to test these life course effects are lacking. This study tested associations between childhood AL and adult cardiometabolic health in a large sample of youth repeatedly measured across ages 9 to 16, and their adult cardiometabolic health at age 30. AL scores were calculated at each age by summing across sex- and age-standardized values for biomarkers representing immune (C-Reactive Protein, Epstein-Barr Virus antibodies), neuroendocrine (cortisol, DHEA-s), and cardiometabolic indicators (body mass index; BMI). Adult cardiometabolic hea

SUBMITTER: Hinz E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12501187 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature