Allostatic Load in Parents and Offspring: Sex Differences and Intergenerational Effects on Cardiovascular...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Genetics and Genomics
• Public Health

Background:

• Allostatic load (AL) quantifies cumulative physiological dysregulation from chronic stress.
• AL is a known predictor of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Understanding AL's impact across generations is crucial for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between allostatic load (AL) and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-free survival in parents and offspring.
• To investigate sex-specific differences in the relationship between AL and CVD risk.
• To determine the intergenerational effects of parental AL on offspring CVD risk.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 6145 parent-offspring trios from the Framingham Heart Study.
• Composite AL scores generated from 9 physiological biomarkers.
• Kaplan-Meier plots, Irwin's restricted means, and Cox regression models assessed AL and CVD-free survival.

Main Results:

• Parents had higher AL prevalence and CVD incidence than offspring.
• High parental AL correlated with a 30% increased CVD risk in offspring; maternal biomarkers were more predictive.
• Individuals with low AL lived significantly longer free of CVD (parents: 12.5 years; offspring: 13.4 years).
• Daughters with high AL faced the highest CVD hazard (HR, 2.83).

Conclusions:

• Parental allostatic load (AL) is a significant predictor of offspring cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
• Maternal AL biomarkers demonstrate a stronger association with offspring CVD risk compared to paternal biomarkers.
• Prioritizing maternal health and managing parental AL are vital for effective CVD risk reduction strategies.