Sexual minority (SM) adults (those who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual) consistently report more health problems compared to heterosexuals, and they tend to experience excess social stress. Although numerous studies have established links between social stress and clinical outcomes in SM adults, few studies have examined biological factors that may help explain how social stress leads to health disparities among SM adults. We used data from the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) to examine whether two inflammatory markers that have been commonly associated with social stress—C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)—differed by sexual orientation and whether any differences were explained by perceptions of discrimination. Participants self-identified as heterosexual (n = 1956) or lesbian, gay, or bisexual (n = 81). After controlling for age, gender, race, and education, SM individuals had higher CRP and IL-6 than heterosexuals on average and these differences were partially explained by perceptions of discrimination. Implications for inflammatory pathways as mechanisms related to SM health disparities and discrimination are discussed.

与异性恋者相比，性少数 (SM) 成年人（女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋者）始终报告更多的健康问题，而且他们往往会承受过大的社会压力。尽管许多研究已经建立了 SM 成年人的社会压力和临床结果之间的联系，但很少有研究检查可能有助于解释社会压力如何导致 SM 成年人健康差异的生物学因素。我们使用美国中年研究 (MIDUS) 的数据来检查通常与社会压力相关的两种炎症标记物——C 反应蛋白 (CRP) 和白细胞介素 6 (IL-6)——是否因性取向而异。以及任何差异是否可以用歧视观念来解释。参与者自我认定为异性恋（ n = 1956）或女同性恋、男同性恋或双性恋（ n = 81）。在控制了年龄、性别、种族和教育程度后，SM 个体的 CRP 和 IL-6 平均高于异性恋者，这些差异部分可以用歧视观念来解释。讨论了炎症途径作为与 SM 健康差异和歧视相关的机制的影响。