Age, Allostatic Load, Residential Setting, and Self-Reported Diet Choices Among Older Poles

Background: During life, all organisms experience multiple stressful events capable of disrupting their somatic integrity. As mammals, humans respond to environmental, sociocultural, and cognitive stressors via allostasis, a systemic neurophysiological response that supports physiological homeostasis. Unfortunately, allostatic mechanisms are incapable of countering all stressors, and systemic physiological damage accumulates with age; thereby contributing to physiological dysregulation and an increasing allostatic load (AL). Previously, we reported that a ten-factor allostatic load index (ALI) varied significantly by age, gender, and rural–urban residence in a sample of Polish citizens ages 55+ years but a five-biomarker frailty index did not. Here we determine whether an estimated ALI covaries with self-reported food intakes across age, residential setting, and gender. Methods: Two hundred and ten residents of Greater Poland ages 55–91 years, residing in either the Nekla commune (N = 103) or the capital of Greater Poland, Poznan (N = 107), participated in research designed to estimate a study-specific 10-biomarker ALI and its possible associations with their self-reported dietary choices, age, gender, and residential location. Of these, 206 completed study protocols including a food frequency questionnaire, verifying their age, self-reporting their gender, and allowing research personnel to obtain data for assessing 10 physiological biomarkers of allostatic load for inclusion in a study-specific ALI. Statistical significance for nominal measures was estimated using chi-square analyses; those for continuous measures, t-tests. Results: In the full sample, self-reported higher red meat and snack intakes were significantly associated with higher ALI at younger ages (55–69 years). No food item was significantly associated with estimated ALI at older ages (70+ years). Further, low self-reported intakes of fish and seafood consumption were significantly associated with a higher ALI in Poznan, but not Nekla residents. Within the full sample, average ALI was almost identical between younger and older women. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional sample of older Nekla and Poznan residents allostatic load not only varied by age, sex, and residential location, but also with self-reported consumption of red meat, snacks, fish and seafood. Observed differences in biomarkers of AL between younger and older residents of Poland across this sample suggest possible higher incidences of chronic disease occur among women residing in Nekla than those in Poznan. Similarly, the significant associations of red meat and snack consumption with ALI at younger ages in both settings may portend increasing vascular disease and related complications among those ages 55–69 years in this sample as they age. As does the higher estimated ALI among Poznan residents reporting low fish and seafood consumption.