Effects of Residential Environment on Allostatic Load and Epigenetic Aging

This presentation will discuss how combined biomarker-based indices of health, such as allostatic load and epigenetic age, can be used to assess the cumulative health impacts in the total environment. The presentation will highlight how EPA researchers used epidemiologic studies to demonstrate that exposure to a green residential environment was associated with reduced allostatic load, systemic inflammation, and epigenetic age. Several factors, including low socioeconomic status, insomnia, and excessive leisure screen time, were associated with negative impacts on biomarker-based indices of health.

Impact/Purpose

Human health is determined by the combined effects of natural traits, such as genetics, and extrinsic factors, such as living conditions. Chronic social stress and environmental pollution have been linked with increased risks of systemic morbidity and mortality, while contact with the natural environment and greenspace have been linked with reduced risks of chronic systemic diseases and death. The combined effects of these stressors on human health can shape resiliency over time. The Healthy and Resilient Communities Research Webinar on December 10, 2024 will discuss how EPA researchers use allostatic load, the cumulative wear and tear on the body due to stress, and epigenetic age, a biological measure of the body’s aging processes, in their research.

Citation

Egorov, A., Tim Wade, S. Griffin, E. Sams, E. Hudgens, L. Wickersham, J. Kobylanski, J. Styles, J. Klein, N. Brown, AND J. Beak. Effects of Residential Environment on Allostatic Load and Epigenetic Aging. Healthy and Resilient Communities Research Webinar Series, RTP, NC, December 10, 2024.