Hair cortisol measurement in older adults: Influence of demographic and physiological factors and correlation with perceived stress

Lanfear, Joseph H.; Voegel, Clarissa D.; Binz, Tina M.; Paul, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.steroids.2020.108712

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 53 publications

(79 reference statements)

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“…The literature search identified 1017 unique citation titles of which a total of 120 studies 5,13,14,16,19,30,33–146 comprising 146 separate cohorts were included (Figure 1). This corresponds to a total of 34,342 included participants of which 15,698 (46%) were sampled from general population‐based studies (Table 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross‐sectional relation of long‐term glucocorticoids in hair with anthropometric measurements and their possible determinants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2021

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Summary Background Long‐term glucocorticoids (HairGC) measured in scalp hair have been associated with body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist‐hip‐ratio (WHR) in several cross‐sectional studies. We aimed to investigate the magnitude, strength, and clinical relevance of these relations across all ages. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis (PROSPERO registration CRD42020205187) searching for articles relating HairGC to measures of obesity. Main outcomes were bivariate correlation coefficients and unadjusted simple linear regression coefficients relating hair cortisol (HairF) and hair cortisone (HairE) to BMI, WC, and WHR. Results We included k = 146 cohorts (n = 34,342 individuals). HairGC were positively related to all anthropometric measurements. The strongest correlation and largest effect size were seen for HairE‐WC: pooled correlation 0.18 (95%CI 0.11–0.24; k = 7; n = 3,158; I2 = 45.7%) and pooled regression coefficient 11.0 cm increase in WC per point increase in 10‐log‐transformed HairE (pg/mg) on liquid‐chromatography‐(tandem) mass spectrometry (LC–MS) (95%CI 10.1–11.9 cm; k = 6; n = 3,102). Pooled correlation for HairF‐BMI was 0.10 (95%CI 0.08–0.13; k = 122; n = 26,527; I2 = 51.2%) and pooled regression coefficient 0.049 kg/m2 per point increase in 10‐log‐transformed HairF (pg/mg) on LC–MS (95%CI 0.045–0.054 kg/m2; k = 26; n = 11,635). Discussion There is a consistent positive association between HairGC and BMI, WC, and WHR, most prominently and clinically relevant for HairE‐WC. These findings overall suggest an altered setpoint of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis with increasing central adiposity.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross‐sectional relation of long‐term glucocorticoids in hair with anthropometric measurements and their possible determinants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

et al. 2021

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“…Therefore, it would be interesting to include measurements of cortisol in fathers' hair in subsequent studies. Besides, some authors have detected in older adults that hair cortisol levels are slightly higher in dark brown hair 50 , so it could be worth obtaining this information to know if this phenomenon could occur also in pregnant women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hair cortisol levels in pregnancy as a possible determinant of fetal sex: a longitudinal study

Romero-González

Puertas-Gonzalez

González-Pérez

et al. 2021

J Dev Orig Health Dis

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Stress during pregnancy has been widely studied and associated to different variables, usually with negative results for the health of the mother and the newborn, such as having a higher risk of suffering postpartum depression, premature birth, obstetrics complications or low birthweight, among others. However, there are not many lines of research that study the role that the sex of the baby plays on this specific stress and vice versa. Thus, the main objective was to analyse the relationship between the sex of the offspring and the stress of the mothers in the first trimester of pregnancy. In order to achieve this, 108 women had their biological stress measured (trough hair cortisol levels) and psychological stress evaluated (the Prenatal Distress Questionnaire (PSS), the Perceived Stress Scale (PDQ) and the Stress Vulnerability Inventory (IVE)). The results revealed significant differences in maternal hair cortisol levels in the first trimester based on the sex of the baby they had given birth to (t = −2.04; P < 0.05): the concentration of the hormone was higher if the baby was a girl (164.36:54.45-284.87 pg/mg) than if it was a boy (101.13:37.95-193.56 pg/mg). These findings show that the sex of the future baby could be conditioned, among many other variables, by the mother´s stress levels during conception and first weeks of pregnancy. Further research is needed in this area to support our findings.

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“…Indeed, our subgroup analyses revealed that in studies including older individuals, the connection between HCC and BMI is less pronounced. Another group analyzing HCC in participants aged 60 to 80 years found no significant correlation between hair cortisol and the waist‐hip ratio (70). This suggests that, in the elderly, other factors such as inflammation or body fat distribution may be involved and confound the results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deciphering the Association Between Hypothalamus‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis Activity and Obesity: A Meta‐Analysis

Ostinelli

Scovronec

Iceta

et al. 2021

Obesity

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Objective Both the cortisol awakening response (CAR; corresponding to the state measurement) and hair cortisol concentration (HCC; corresponding to the trait measurement) are considered reliable markers of hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis activity. Because cortisol has long been associated with adiposity, this systematic review and meta‐analysis aims to summarize and compare the literature around CAR and HCC and their association with obesity or fat distribution indices. Methods The PubMed, Web of Science (Web of Science Core Collection and Medline), EBSCO Information Services, Embase, and PsycNET databases were searched, and full‐text articles investigating the association between CAR or HCC and markers of adiposity in humans were included. Meta‐analyses were then performed to compare studies associating CAR or HCC with BMI (a marker of general adiposity) and waist circumference (a marker of fat distribution). Results The results of this review highlight inconsistencies in cortisol sampling and CAR computation, which makes comparisons between studies difficult. It was found that adiposity indices are not associated with CAR but that they correlate significantly and positively with HCC. The subgroup analysis hinted to possible age differences in the magnitude of the association between HCC and BMI. Conclusions Trait rather than state measurement of the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐adrenal axis activity is associated with increased general and abdominal adiposity in humans.

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Hair cortisol measurement in older adults: Influence of demographic and physiological factors and correlation with perceived stress

Cited by 22 publications

References 53 publications

Cross‐sectional relation of long‐term glucocorticoids in hair with anthropometric measurements and their possible determinants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Cross‐sectional relation of long‐term glucocorticoids in hair with anthropometric measurements and their possible determinants: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Hair cortisol levels in pregnancy as a possible determinant of fetal sex: a longitudinal study

Deciphering the Association Between Hypothalamus‐Pituitary‐Adrenal Axis Activity and Obesity: A Meta‐Analysis

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