FOLIC ACID & HOMOCYSTEINE: DOSE RESPONSE STUDY

我们将检查长期紧张的个人(阿尔茨海默病(AD)患者的配偶照顾者)。配偶照顾者失去了AD配偶的陪伴和支持。这些损失，加上长期的身体、情感和经济需求(1，2)以及生物行为的脆弱性，使配偶照顾者面临更大的心理生理痛苦和身体健康问题的风险(3)。在之前与照顾者和配对对照组的工作中，我们研究了各种心理行为(例如，麻烦、愤怒/敌意、锻炼、饮食)和生理指标。在所检查的代谢、心血管(CV)和免疫指标中，代谢变量(身体质量指数/肥胖、胰岛素和血糖)与照顾之间的关系最强，而CV指标则显示出一些关系。这些结果使我们现在把重点放在代谢/神经内分泌指标上。这些措施被认为是护理和冠心病(CHD)之间关系的中介，因为它们既与压力有关，也与冠心病有关。

We will examine chronically stressed individuals (spouse caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Spouse caregivers lose the companionship and support of their AD spouses. These losses, coupled with chronic physical, emotional and financial demands (1, 2) as well as biobehavioral vulnerabilities, put spouse caregivers at increased risk for psychophysiological distress and physical health problems (3). In previous work with caregivers and matched controls, we studied a variety of psychobehavioral (e.g., hassles, anger/hostility, exercise, diet) and physiological measures. Of the metabolic, cardiovascular (CV), and immune measures examined, metabolic variables (Body Mass Index/obesity, insulin, and glucose) showed the strongest relationships with caregiving, whereas CV measures showed some relationships. These results lead us to focus now on metabolic/neuroendocrine measures. Such measures qualify as mediators of the relationship between caregiving and coronary heart disease (CHD) because they are related to both stress and CHD.