Impact of social integration on metabolic functions: evidence from a nationally representative longitudinal study of US older adults

Yang Claire Yang,Ting Li,Yinchun Ji

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-1210

Abstract

BackgroundMetabolic functions may operate as important biophysiological mechanisms through which social relationships affect health. It is unclear how social embeddedness or the lack thereof is related to risk of metabolic dysregulation. To fill this gap we tested the effects of social integration on metabolic functions over time in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the United States and examined population heterogeneity in the effects.MethodsUsing longitudinal data from 4,323 adults aged over 50 years in the Health and Retirement Study and latent growth curve models, we estimated the trajectories of social integration spanning five waves, 1998–2006, in relation to biomarkers of energy metabolism in 2006. We assessed social integration using a summary index of the number of social ties across five domains. We examined six biomarkers, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the summary index of the overall burden of metabolic dysregulation.ResultsHigh social integration predicted significantly lower risks of both individual and overall metabolic dysregulation. Specifically, adjusting for age, sex, race, and body mass index, having four to five social ties reduced the risks of abdominal obesity by 61% (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}] = 0.39 [0.23, 0.67], p = .007), hypertension by 41% (OR [95% CI] = 0.59 [0.42, 0.84], p = .021), and the overall metabolic dysregulation by 46% (OR [95% CI] = 0.54 [0.40, 0.72], p < .001). The OR for the overall burden remained significant when adjusting for social, behavioral, and illness factors. In addition, stably high social integration had more potent metabolic impacts over time than changes therein. Such effects were consistent across subpopulations and more salient for the younger old (those under age 65), males, whites, and the socioeconomically disadvantaged.ConclusionsThis study addressed important challenges in previous research linking social integration to metabolic health by clarifying the nature and direction of the relationship as it applies to different objectively measured markers and population subgroups. It suggests additional psychosocial and biological pathways to consider in future research on the contributions of social deficits to disease etiology and old-age mortality.

Highlights

Metabolic functions may operate as important biophysiological mechanisms through which social relationships affect health
Metabolic functions marked by HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), and systolic blood pressure (BP) were significantly worse for those with low social integration than those with high social integration, as indicated by the p values for significance tests of the bivariate associations
Compared to respondents with high social integration, those with low social integration were older, more likely to be nonwhites, less well educated, less likely to be in the top income quartile, more likely to be smokers, had no regular exercise, were more depressed, had more chronic conditions, and were more likely to be on hypertension medication

Summary

Introduction

Metabolic functions may operate as important biophysiological mechanisms through which social relationships affect health. It is unclear how social embeddedness or the lack thereof is related to risk of metabolic dysregulation. To fill this gap we tested the effects of social integration on metabolic functions over time in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the United States and examined population heterogeneity in the effects. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), defined by a cluster of vascular risk factors that share insulin resistance as a common underlying pathophysiological mechanism [16], is estimated to have affected about 24% of all US adults and 42% of adults aged 70 years and older in the early 1990s [17], and it became more prevalent by 2000 [17]. The increasing prevalence and illness burden of metabolic dysregulation in the context of the rising obesity epidemic and the rapid increase of the size of the aging population are causes of great concern for public health action

Methods

Results

Conclusion