Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology
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Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol · Jul 2016
Relationship Between Mean Leucocyte Telomere Length and Measures of Allostatic Load in US Reproductive-Aged Women, NHANES 1999-2002.
Reproductive health disparities may be partly explained by the cumulative effects of chronic stress experienced by socially disadvantaged groups. Although, telomere length (TL) and allostatic load score have each been used as biological markers of stress, the relationship between these two measures is unknown. ⋯ Although TL and allostatic load score are both considered measures of cumulative stress, most component biomarkers and scores using quartile-based cut-points were not associated with TL. In reproductive-aged women, allostatic load scores using clinical-based cut-points were more strongly associated with TL compared with quartile-based scores.