Abstract
We examined the relation between stress reactivity and 24 h glycemic control in 17 inactive, healthy older people (≥60 years) under both a novel psychophysical stress and a seated control condition. Plasma cortisol was measured over the course of the stress and recovery periods. Glycemic control was determined over the subsequent 3 h from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and over 24 h via continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). We observed significant (P < 0.05) elevations in perceived stress, cardiovascular activity, and peak cortisol response at 30 min (10.6 ± 3.1 versus 8.6 ± 2.6 μg·dL−1, resp.) during the stress compared with the control condition; however, 3 h OGTT glucose and insulin responses were similar between conditions. The CGM data suggested a 30–40 min postchallenge delay in peak glucose response and attenuated glucose clearance over the 6 h following the stress condition, but these alterations were not statistically significant. Healthy older people may demonstrate minimal disruption in metabolic resiliency following everyday psychological stress.
Highlights
“Stress” is a common and adaptive component of our interaction with the environment [1], and allostasis refers to the body’s ability to reestablish stability when confronted by various environmental challenges through the activation of neural, neuroendocrine, and neuroendocrineimmune responses [2]
Adaptation to stress frequently involves the activation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis in order to mobilize energy stores
We observed significant evidence of perceived stress and cardiovascular engagement to a 30 min psychophysical stressor among healthy older people, HPA response appeared somewhat blunted relative to responses observed in other studies of older people [21, 22]
Summary
“Stress” is a common and adaptive component of our interaction with the environment [1], and allostasis refers to the body’s ability to reestablish stability (i.e., homeostasis) when confronted by various environmental challenges through the activation of neural, neuroendocrine, and neuroendocrineimmune responses [2]. We hypothesized that (1) older subjects would demonstrate elevated cardiovascular and hormonal responses to this challenge compared with a control condition and (2) an exaggerated stress response would result in significantly disrupted glycemic control in the short term (i.e., 3 h) but not over 24 hours. Due to the robust health status of this study sample, we proposed that alterations in metabolic control in the short term would be normalized over the remainder of the day. To our knowledge, these hypotheses have not been tested before in healthy people of any age using continuous glucose monitoring
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