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

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

A cross-sectional 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 2026-09-22. The dose shown is the dose the researchers used. It is not a recommendation. How to read this page.