Cortisol in hair measured in young adults - a biomarker of major life stressors?
TLDR
Findings suggest that measurement of cortisol in hair could serve as a retrospective biomarker of increased cortisol production reflecting exposure to major life stressors and possibly extended psychological illness with important implications for research, clinical practice and public health.Abstract:
Stress as a cause of illness has been firmly established. In public health and stress research a retrospective biomarker of extended stress would be an indispensible aid. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate whether concentrations of cortisol in hair correlate with perceived stress, experiences of serious life events, and perceived health in young adults. Hair samples were cut from the posterior vertex area of (n = 99) university students who also answered a questionnaire covering experiences of serious life events, perceived Stress Scale and perceived health during the last three months. Cortisol was measured using a competitive radioimmunoassay in methanol extracts of hair samples frozen in liquid nitrogen and mechanically pulverised. Mean cortisol levels were significantly related to serious life events (p = 0.045), weakly negatively correlated to perceived stress (p = 0.025, r = -0.061) but nor affected by sex, coloured/permed hair, intake of pharmaceuticals or self-reported health. In a multiple regression model, only the indicator of serious life events had an independent (p = 0.041) explanation of increased levels of cortisol in hair. Out of four outliers with extremely high cortisol levels two could be contacted, both reported serious psychological problems. These findings suggest that measurement of cortisol in hair could serve as a retrospective biomarker of increased cortisol production reflecting exposure to major life stressors and possibly extended psychological illness with important implications for research, clinical practice and public health. Experience of serious life events seems to be more important in raising cortisol levels in hair than perceived stress.read more
Citations
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Analysis of cortisol in hair--state of the art and future directions.
TL;DR: Evidence on a recent methodological development assumed to provide a considerable advancement in the analysis of cortisol in hair is discussed, which holds great promise to significantly enhance current understanding on the role of steroid hormones in psychoimmunological research.
Journal ArticleDOI
Hair cortisol, stress exposure, and mental health in humans: A systematic review
Sabine M. Staufenbiel,Brenda W.J.H. Penninx,Anne T. Spijker,Bernet M. Elzinga,Bernet M. Elzinga,Elisabeth F.C. van Rossum +5 more
TL;DR: A first implication is made that the dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the development and/or maintenance of psychopathology may be more subtle than it is in healthy but chronically stressed populations.
Journal ArticleDOI
Stress-related and basic determinants of hair cortisol in humans: A meta-analysis.
Tobias Stalder,Tobias Stalder,Susann Steudte-Schmiedgen,Nina Alexander,Tim Klucken,Annika Vater,Susann Wichmann,Clemens Kirschbaum,Robert Miller +8 more
TL;DR: A first comprehensive meta-analysis of hair cortisol concentrations research based on aggregated data from a total of 124 (sub)samples reveals positive associations of HCC with stress-related anthropometric measures and hemodynamic measures (systolic blood pressure).
Journal ArticleDOI
Minireview: Hair cortisol: a novel biomarker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical activity.
TL;DR: Because human hair is known to grow at an average rate of about 1 cm/month, several studies suggest that CORT levels in hair segments that differ in proximity to the scalp can, under certain conditions, be used as a retrospective calendar of HPA activity during specific time periods preceding sample collection.
Journal ArticleDOI
High Long-Term Cortisol Levels, Measured in Scalp Hair, Are Associated With a History of Cardiovascular Disease
Laura Manenschijn,Laura A. Schaap,N.M. van Schoor,S. van der Pas,Geeske Peeters,Geeske Peeters,Paul Lips,Jan W. Koper,E.F.C. van Rossum +8 more
TL;DR: The increased cardiovascular risk found is equivalent to the effect of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that long-term elevated cortisol may be an important cardiovascular risk factor.
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