Interactions Between Life Stress Factors and Carrying the APOE4 Allele Adversely Impact Self-reported Health in Old Adults
Open Access
- 18 July 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences
- Vol. 66A (10), 1054-1061
- https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glr106
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.Keywords
This publication has 39 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Effects of Prolonged Stress and APOE Genotype on Memory and Cortisol in Older AdultsBiological Psychiatry, 2007
- Epigenetic regulation in psychiatric disordersNature Reviews Neuroscience, 2007
- Self-rated health and age: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study of 11,000 Danes aged 45—102Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 2007
- Apolipoprotein E ε4 Allele Frequency and Age at Onset of Alzheimer’s DiseaseDementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 2006
- Social Networks and Self-Rated HealthJournal of Aging and Health, 2006
- No APOEε4 effect on coronary heart disease risk in a cohort with low smoking prevalence: the Whitehall II studyAtherosclerosis, 2004
- Apolipoprotein E ∈4 Allele Affects the Relationship between Stress and Depression in Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer's DiseaseJournal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 2001
- APOE genotype influences functional status among elderly without dementiaAmerican Journal of Medical Genetics, 1995
- Gene Dose of Apolipoprotein E Type 4 Allele and the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease in Late Onset FamiliesScience, 1993
- Self-rated health: a predictor of mortality among the elderly.American Journal of Public Health, 1982