title: Cortisol in hair, body mass index and stress-related measures.
abstract: Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are assumed to reflect integrated cortisol secretion over extended periods of time and may provide a sensitive marker for stress-associated endocrine changes. Here, we report data from two independent studies of 155 (study I) and 58 participants (study II) in which HCC associations with different stress-related measures and body mass index (BMI) were investigated. Consistent evidence for positive associations between HCC and BMI was seen across both studies (study I: r=.33, p<.001; study II: r=.42, p=.001). On the other hand, findings failed to reveal reliable HCC associations with psychosocial variables, showing only a positive relationship with self-reported social overload in study II (r=.29, p=.03) but not with other stress-related measures.
authors.affiliation: Technical University of Dresden, Department of Psychology, Germany. stalder@biopsych.tu-dresden.de
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stalder
authors.forename: Susann
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steudte
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dettenborn
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kirschbaum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone