Biosocial Surveys (2008) / Chapter Skim
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8 Biomarkers in Social Science Research on Health and Aging: A Review of Theory and Practice--Douglas C. Ewbank
8 Biomarkers in Social Science Research on Health and Aging: A Review of Theory and Practice--Douglas C. Ewbank
Pages 156-172
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From page 156... ...
call for the inclusion of biomarkers in longitudinal epidemiological studies to document the progression of the "vicious cycle of immunosenescence, endocrinosenescence, and neurosenescence." However, from the perspective of social scientists studying aging and health, the research priorities are generally more limited. Biomarkers can be useful for studying a variety of social behaviors and environments.
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From page 157... ...
. However, much of the recent research on aging has focused on the effects of chronic social and psychological stress and measures associated with the biological concepts of "robustness" and "allostatic load." Social scientists studying health and aging face a great challenge.
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From page 158... ...
Acute time-limited stressors involve artificial experiences produced in laboratory experiments, such as tasks involving mental arithmetic. Brief naturalistic stressors involve such events as students taking SAT exams.
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From page 159... ...
For example, within the category of stressful event sequences, the loss of a spouse is generally associated with a decline in natural inflammatory responses, which is not apparent following a breast biopsy (Segerstrom and Miller, 2004) . The complex relationship between social environments and stress is apparent from animal models.
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From page 160... ...
Two related concepts -- biological robustness and allostatic load -- provide a theoretical framework for selecting biomarkers for social science research. Systems analysis provides a useful way of thinking about how an organism manages the numerous changes in chemistry required to deal with regular and irregular challenges that result from the interactions with the environment.
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From page 161... ...
Insulin resistance involves reduced sensitivity of cells to insulin-stimulated glucose absorption. This leads to an increased secretion of insulin and a slower response to increases in serum glucose levels (glucose intolerance)
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From page 162... ...
This simple model of insulin response to changes in serum glucose levels illustrates the progression from poor short-term responsiveness to chronic instability that develops in many systems in response to challenges. This "glucose-centric" view of insulin resistance is grossly oversimplified.
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From page 163... ...
We have already seen that the metabolic syndrome is associated with multiple important diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Among the elements of the metabolic syndrome, the waist-hip ratio is a risk factor or precursor of disease, whereas glycosylated hemoglobin measures the cumulative effect of serum glucose levels over the past few months.
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From page 164... ...
. Similar criteria can be used to select genes for social science research on health. For example, a relatively common allele of the ApoE gene has been shown to be associated with increased risk of ischemic heart disease and Alzheimer disease (Farrer et al., 1997; Eichner et al., 2002)
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From page 165... ...
. Documenting a cohort's history of early life conditions, social and psychological stress, and the appearance of dysfunction of several systems would require a longitudinal study of extraordinary duration.
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From page 166... ...
However, the simplicity in diagrams of such models is deceiving. Issues of causal ordering and feedback loops raise some of the most serious modeling and statistical issues facing social scientists (National Research Council, 2001b)
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From page 167... ...
False negatives may also be more damaging than false positives because negative results tend to discourage further research. This emphasizes the need for replication and multiple tests of good hypotheses even when they don't pan out immediately. Second, at this stage of research using biomarkers, there is a serious risk of unwarranted generalization.
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From page 168... ...
First, research at the older ages needs to be combined with studies of the early signs of reduced robustness in younger adults. The research on younger ages will require using biological challenges, like two-hour glucose tolerance tests, that are difficult to carry out in large population studies.
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From page 169... ...
. C-reactive protein and other circulat ing markers of inflammation in the prediction of coronary heart disease.
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From page 170... ...
. High stress responsivity predicts later blood pressure only in combination with positive family history and high life stress.
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From page 171... ...
. Socioeconomic status, C-reactive protein, immune factors, and responses to acute mental stress: Special issue on psychological risk factors and immune system involvement in cardiovascular disease.
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