ABSTRACT
One response to this challenge was the introduction of the concept of allostatic load (AL) (2-4) as a measure of the cumulative physiological burden exacted on the body through attempts to adapt to life's demands. The ability to successfully adapt to challenges has been referred to by Sterling and Eyer (5) as allostasis. This notion emphasizes the physiological imperative that, to survive, "an organism must vary parameters of its internal milieu and match them appropriately to environmental demands" (5). When the adaptive responses to challenge lie chronically outside of normal operating ranges, wear and tear on regulatory systems occurs and AL accumulates.
