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Background Allostatic load (AL) is a measure of cumulative physiological dysregulation that is posited to capture the'wear and tear'on the body resulting from exposure to chronic stress. AL has been shown to predict disease, morbidity and mortality. Multiple studies have shown an inverse relationship between AL and SEP, but few have examined the life course social patterning of AL. Methods Using baseline data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), an AL index was calculated by summing the number of biomarkers for which respondents fell within high risk quartiles. 17 biomarkers were examined, representing cardiovascular, immune, metabolic and parasympathetic nervous systems. SEP and life course trajectories were determined using father's occupation (at age 14) and current occupation, which were aggregated to create four categories of social mobility; stable high, downwardly mobile …