Associations between Social Adversity and Biomarkers of Inflammation, Stress, and Aging in Children

Matthew S Pantell, Patricia P Silveira, Euclides José de Mendonça Filho, Holly Wing, Erika M Brown, Victoria F Keeton, Irina Pokhvisneva, Kieran J O'Donnell, John Neuhaus, Danielle Hessler, Michael J Meaney, Nancy E Adler, Laura M Gottlieb. Pediatr Res. 2024 May;95(6):1553-1563.

Observational studyHumans

Design

Observational study

Subjects

537 children aged 0 to 17 from an acute care paediatric clinic; numbers varied by biomarker

Dose used in the study

Not applicable; palmitoylethanolamide was measured, not given

Duration

Not stated in the abstract

What was measured

Salivary cytokines, cortisol and other steroids, N-acylethanolamines including PEA, and an epigenetic age clock, against caregiver-reported education, income and social risk, in 537 children (sample size varied by biomarker).

What the authors reported

Cumulative social adversity was associated with higher levels of all inflammatory markers and with cortisol in a U-shaped pattern, but there were no significant relationships between cumulative adversity and cortisone, the neuromodulation biomarkers (including PEA) or epigenetic ageing.

Limits of this study

An observational biomarker study in children; it cannot show cause or any effect of taking PEA. Sample sizes varied by biomarker. The authors declare no competing interests.

Source

PubMed 38233512 · doi:10.1038/s41390-023-02992-6

Entry checked against the abstract on PubMed on 2026-10-19. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.