Biography and biological capital

Abstract

At the crossroads between sciences, epidemiology brings together the social and the biological to examine social inequalities in health. The concept of biological capital represents the accumulated history of biological experiences, alongside the other forms of accumulated capital, notably cultural, economic and social. The ability to access the three other forms of individual capital and therefore position in life depends on inherited biological health/skills, epigenetic imprinting and the accumulation of embodied biological changes that make an individual more or less successful in life. We present results from analyses carried out within the Lifepath consortium, showing that the socioeconomic environment, from early life and over the lifecourse, is an important risk factor for health and partly works through its effects on biological mechanisms. We show that socially stratified pre-disease states related to ageing may be examined using biomarkers, and help underline areas and mechanisms to promote healthy ageing.

Keywords: Allostatic load; Biomarkers; Life-course epidemiology.