Dataset Information

Adverse childhood experiences and physiological wear-and-tear in midlife: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort.

ABSTRACT: Allostatic load (AL) is a measure of overall physiological wear-and-tear over the life course, which could partially be the consequence of early life exposures. AL could allow a better understanding of the potential biological pathways playing a role in the construction of the social gradient in adult health. To explore the biological embedding hypothesis, we examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with elevated AL in midlife. We used imputed data on 3,782 women and 3,753 men of the National Child Development Study in Britain followed up seven times. ACEs were measured using prospective data collected at ages 7, 11, and 16. AL was operationalized using data from the biomedical survey collected at age 44 on 14 parameters representing four biological systems. We examined the role of adult health behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status as potential mediators using a path analysis. ACEs were associated with higher AL for both men and women after adjustment for early life factors and childhood pathologies. The path analysis showed that the association between ACEs and AL was largely explained by early adult factors at age 23 and 33. For men, the total mediated effect was 59% (for two or more ACEs) via health behaviors, education level, and wealth. For women, the mediated effect represented 76% (for two or more ACEs) via smoking, BMI, education level, and wealth. Our results indicate that early psychosocial stress has an indirect lasting impact on physiological wear-and-tear via health behaviors, BMI, and socioeconomic factors in adulthood.

SUBMITTER: Barboza Solis C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4343178 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Adverse childhood experiences and physiological wear-and-tear in midlife: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort.

Barboza Solís Cristina C Kelly-Irving Michelle M Fantin Romain R Darnaudéry Muriel M Torrisani Jérôme J Lang Thierry T Delpierre Cyrille C

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20150202 7

Allostatic load (AL) is a measure of overall physiological wear-and-tear over the life course, which could partially be the consequence of early life exposures. AL could allow a better understanding of the potential biological pathways playing a role in the construction of the social gradient in adult health. To explore the biological embedding hypothesis, we examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with elevated AL in midlife. We used imputed data on 3,782 women and ...[more]

PMID: 25646470

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceEarly-life mental health is known to be associated with socioeconomic adversity and psychological distress in adulthood, but less is known about potential associations with biomarkers and mortality.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between early-life mental health trajectories with biomarkers in midlife and premature mortality.Design, setting, and participantsThis study used data from the British National Child Development Study, a population-based birth cohort. The initial sample of 17 415 individuals consisted of all infants born in Great Britain in a single week in 1958. Analysis began Feburary 2017 and ended May 2020.Main outcomes and measuresBiomarkers collected at age 44 to 45 years were fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, glycated hemoglobin, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, forced expiratory volume, blood pressure, and waist-to-hip ratio. Information on all-cause mortality was available up to age 58 years and cause-specific mortality up to age 50 years.ResultsBiomarkers were analyzed from 9377 participants (age, 44-45 years, 4712 female [50.3%]) and mortality data from 15 067 participants (age, 58 years; 7379 female [49.0%]). A 4-group longitudinal typology of early-life conduct problems and affective symptoms was identified: (1) stable low, (2) teacher-identified adolescent onset, (3) moderate, and (4) stable high. Compared with the stable-low group, the stable-high (B, 2.308; 95% CI, 0.213-4.404) and teacher-identified adolescent-onset (B, 2.114; 95% CI, 0.725-3.503) groups had less favorable levels of fibrinogen in middle age. Effect modification was observed by sex (P < .005) such that compared with the stable-low group, differences in high-density lipoprotein and abdominal obesity were only observed in female individuals. The stable-high and teacher-identified adolescent-onset groups had elevated risk for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.878; 95% CI, 1.501-2.350 and hazard ratio, 1.412; 95% CI, 1.174-1.698). Psychopathology-associated mortality was higher in both groups but unintentional injuries-associated mortality only in the stable-high group.Conclusions and relevanceExperiencing affective symptoms and conduct problems in childhood and adolescence is associated with less favorable levels of biomarkers 28 years later and elevated risk of premature mortality. These findings, if causal and generalizable to younger cohorts, may imply that effective interventions on early-life mental health have the potential to shift the distribution of risk and improve population health.

Project description:Investigating associations between metabolites and late midlife cognitive function could reveal potential markers and mechanisms relevant to early dementia. Here, we systematically explored the metabolic correlates of cognitive outcomes measured across the seventh decade of life, while untangling influencing life course factors. Using levels of 1019 metabolites profiled by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (age 60-64), we evaluated relationships between metabolites and cognitive outcomes in the British 1946 Birth Cohort (N = 1740). We additionally conducted pathway and network analyses to allow for greater insight into potential mechanisms, and sequentially adjusted for life course factors across four models, including sex and blood collection (Model 1), Model 1 + body mass index and lipid medication (Model 2), Model 2 + social factors and childhood cognition (Model 3) and Model 3 + lifestyle influences (Model 4). After adjusting for multiple tests, 155 metabolites, 10 pathways and 5 network modules were associated with cognitive outcomes. Of the 155, 35 metabolites were highly connected in their network module (termed 'hub' metabolites), presenting as promising marker candidates. Notably, we report relationships between a module comprised of acylcarnitines and processing speed which remained robust to life course adjustment, revealing palmitoylcarnitine (C16) as a hub (Model 4: β = -0.10, 95% confidence interval = -0.15 to -0.052, P = 5.99 × 10-5). Most associations were sensitive to adjustment for social factors and childhood cognition; in the final model, four metabolites remained after multiple testing correction, and 80 at P < 0.05. Two modules demonstrated associations that were partly or largely attenuated by life course factors: one enriched in modified nucleosides and amino acids (overall attenuation = 39.2-55.5%), and another in vitamin A and C metabolites (overall attenuation = 68.6-92.6%). Our other findings, including a module enriched in sphingolipid pathways, were entirely explained by life course factors, particularly childhood cognition and education. Using a large birth cohort study with information across the life course, we highlighted potential metabolic mechanisms associated with cognitive function in late midlife, suggesting marker candidates and life course relationships for further study.

Dataset Information

Adverse childhood experiences and physiological wear-and-tear in midlife: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort.

Publications

Adverse childhood experiences and physiological wear-and-tear in midlife: Findings from the 1958 British birth cohort.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets