The following is a summary of “Sense of purpose in life and allostatic load in two longitudinal cohorts,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Psychosomatic Research by Lewis et al.

A sense of purpose in life has been associated with improved physical health, longevity, and a reduced risk for disability and dementia; however, the mechanisms connecting a sense of purpose with diverse health outcomes remain unclear. A sense of purpose may improve physiological regulation in response to stressors and health challenges, reducing allostatic burden and disease risk over time. The current study investigated the relationship between a sense of purpose in life and allostatic load in adults over the age of 50 over time. 

The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) investigated associations between a sense of purpose and allostatic load over 8 and 12 years of follow-up, respectively. Blood-based and anthropometric biomarkers were collected and used at four-year intervals to calculate allostatic load scores based on clinical cut-off values indicating a low, moderate, and high risk. After adjusting for relevant covariates, population-weighted multilevel models revealed that a sense of purpose in life was associated with lower overall levels of allostatic load in HRS but not ELSA. 

In neither sample did life purpose predict the rate of change in the allostatic bag. This study provides evidence that a sense of purpose predicts maintained differentiation of allostasis regulation, with more purposeful individuals consistently demonstrating lower allostasis burden over time. Persistent differences in allostatic burden may account for divergent health trajectories between individuals with a shared sense of purpose and those with a high sense of purpose.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399923002039