Interactions between life stress factors and carrying the APOE4 allele adversely impact self-reported health in old adults.
Abstract
Based on the multiple logistic regression analysis of data from a random sample of
1,023 old adults collected in Taiwan in 2000, we found that interactions between carrying
the APOE4 allele and one of four life stress factors (relocated mainlander, living
in a crowded household with six or more persons, living in an earthquake-damaged house,
and monthly financial difficulty) significantly increased the odds ratio of poor self-reported
health. Correlations between carrying the APOE4 allele and the life stress factors
were ruled out by statistical tests. These life stress factors had a substantially
larger adverse impact on self-reported health in APOE4 allele carriers than in noncarriers.
This study provides evidence that interaction between carrying APOE4 allele and chronic
life stressors has significant impacts on self-reported health while controlling for
various sociodemographic and health behavior factors. Further studies with richer
biomarkers are warranted for deeper understanding of the biological mechanisms.
Type
Journal articleSubject
HumansApolipoproteins E
Logistic Models
Longitudinal Studies
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Stress, Psychological
Self Disclosure
Genotype
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Alleles
Aged
Middle Aged
Taiwan
Female
Male
Interviews as Topic
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17106Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1093/gerona/glr106Publication Info
Zeng, Yi; Hughes, Claude L; Lewis, Megan A; Li, Jianxin; & Zhang, Fengyu (2011). Interactions between life stress factors and carrying the APOE4 allele adversely impact
self-reported health in old adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 66(10). 10.1093/gerona/glr106. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17106.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Claude Lebernian Hughes Jr.
Consulting Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Yi Zeng
Professor in Medicine
(1) Socioeconomic, behavior, environmental and genetic determinants of healthy aging
and healthy longevity; (2) Factors related to elderly disability and mental health;
(3) Methods of family households and elderly living arrangements forecasting/analysis
and their applications in health services and socioeconomic planning, and market studies;
(4) Policy analysis in population aging, social welfare, retirement, and fertility
transitions.
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