Stress-burden scores using both extremes better tracked thinking

Midlife and older Black and White adults in the Health and Retirement Study provided data for an observational analysis of stress burden and thinking ability. Researchers analysed 29,809 observations of White adults and 7,612 of Black adults from 2006 to 2016. These totals counted observations across survey waves, not distinct people.

Allostatic load combines biological measures to capture the body's burden of chronic stress. Researchers compared different ways to score it and assessed thinking ability with a modified cognitive test. Scores counting unusually low and high biological readings were more strongly associated with thinking ability than traditional scoring methods. This applied to comparisons within individuals over time and between individuals, particularly among Black adults.