The Biological Cost of Chronic Stress: Allostatic Load and Newer Conceptualizations

On November 7, 2025, we hosted a special webinar, “The Biological Cost of Chronic Stress: Allostatic Load and Newer Conceptualizations.” The event brought together pioneers and emerging leaders in stress science to examine how chronic stress accumulates in the body and contributes to long-term health risks, a process captured by the concept of allostatic load, the wear and tear that results from repeated or prolonged adaptation to stress. The session featured four keynote talks, followed by a vibrant Data Blitz showcasing innovative approaches to measuring and modeling multisystem stress physiology.

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Keynote Talks:

• Dr. Peter Sterling – Allostasis: A New “Standard” Medical Model

• Dr. Robert-Paul Juster – Adapting Allostatic Algorithms

• Dr. Cathal McCrory – Stress Measurement: Future Directions

• Dr. Eileen Crimmins – Biological Age: What is it and How does it Relate to Stress

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Data Blitz:

• Shiloh Cleveland - Early life adversity and mitochondrial function: Comparing cumulative risk and dimensional models of adversity

• Mathilde Lhérault - Physical activity attenuates the association between allostatic load and early Alzheimer’s disease-related biomarkers

• Dr. Diane Joss - Neural correlates of allostatic load index change in response to meditation training

• Dr. Karina Van Bogart - The dynamic range of diurnal cortisol as a potential indicator of HPA-functioning and allostatic load during mid-to-later life adult

• Dr. Eric T. Klopack - Biomarkers help us understand how general-multisystem and systemic-specific weathering contribute to mortality: A study utilizing a machine learning approach in the Health and Retirement Study

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Download the slide deck HERE.

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