Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study is to describe the prevalence of allostatic load (AL) among Danish men and women in late midlife, and if there is a social gradient in AL.
METHOD: A total of 5,420 participants from the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank (CAMB) aged 48 to 63 years (68.5% men, 31.5% women) underwent a health examination including standardized measures of height, weight, body fat, and blood pressure in 2009-2011. AL (range 0-14) was established by summing the scores of the poorest quartile for each of 14 biological variables related to the metabolic and immune systems.
RESULTS: We found a social gradient in AL in late midlife among men and women living in Denmark.
DISCUSSION: AL may be a potential biomarker for early aging in countries with a strong social welfare system. It is important for intervention studies to be aware of this type of biological vulnerability already present in late midlife.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Aging and Health |
| Volume | 26 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 72-87 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| ISSN | 0898-2643 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2014 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Allostasis
- Biological Markers
- Cohort Studies
- Denmark
- Female
- Health Status Disparities
- Humans
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prevalence
- Risk Factors
- Sex Distribution
- Social Class