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Childhood Stress Linked to Adult Health Risks, Study Reveals

10/18/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Duke University Pontzer Lab links childhood stress to adverse adult health.
The study, published in PNAS, shows stable, secure homes reduce childhood stress.
Researchers link allostatic load to chronic stress, with nine-to-eleven-year-olds' stress forecasting future cardiometabolic health.
Herman Pontzer, co-author from Duke University’s Pontzer Lab, notes education and job training ease poverty-related stress.
The study was supported by health organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Story summary

The Duke University Pontzer Lab links childhood stress to adverse adult health.
The study, published in PNAS, shows stable, secure homes reduce childhood stress.
Researchers link allostatic load to chronic stress, with nine-to-eleven-year-olds' stress forecasting future cardiometabolic health.
Herman Pontzer, co-author from Duke University’s Pontzer Lab, notes education and job training ease poverty-related stress.
The study was supported by health organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health.