Clinical Measures of Allostatic Load in Children and Adolescents with Food Allergy, Depression, or Anxiety.
Anne L Ersig, Roger L Brown, Kristen Malecki
PMID 34555747WHAT IT FOUND
Blood pressure did not differ between groups overall.
Boys with food allergy had lower BMI, while youth with anxiety or depression had higher BMI; in a small survey, comorbid anxiety and depression was associated with higher weight, BMI, diastolic blood pressure, and waist size.
Key findings
01In hospital records, blood pressure did not differ between groups, and males with food allergy had lower BMI than male controls.
02In hospital records, males and females with mental health conditions had higher BMI than same-sex controls.
03In the survey sample, youth with comorbid anxiety and depression had higher weight, BMI, diastolic blood pressure, and waist circumference than youth with anxiety only, depression only, or controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not measure stress exposure or perceived stress in the children, so it cannot show that stress caused the metabolic differences. Both datasets were cross-sectional, so associations cannot establish which came first, including whether parental stress preceded child diagnosis. The survey sample was small, with 54 children total and 50 with parent data, and many possible predictors, making estimates unstable. The hospital sample was mostly White, limiting generalizability to other racial and ethnic groups. BMI and body composition change during puberty, and pubertal status was not measured, so BMI may be a poor allostatic load marker in this age group. Food allergy may affect diet and nutrient intake, which could affect BMI and metabolic outcomes independently of stress. Only some allostatic load measures were available; in the hospital data, only BMI and blood pressure were available, not other biomarkers.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as proof that food allergy, anxiety, or depression causes allostatic load or metabolic disease. The data are cross-sectional, did not measure child stress, and BMI can change during puberty, so the associations are preliminary.