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. 2017 Mar;25(3):539-544.
doi: 10.1002/oby.21733.

Hair cortisol and adiposity in a population-based sample of 2,527 men and women aged 54 to 87 years

Sarah E Jackson  1 , Clemens Kirschbaum  2 , Andrew Steptoe  1
Affiliations

Hair cortisol and adiposity in a population-based sample of 2,527 men and women aged 54 to 87 years

Sarah E Jackson et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: Chronic cortisol exposure is hypothesized to contribute to obesity. This study examined associations between hair cortisol concentrations, a novel indicator of long-term cortisol exposure, and adiposity in a large population-based sample.

Methods: Data were from 2,527 men and women aged 54 and older (98% white British) participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Hair cortisol concentrations were determined from the scalp-nearest 2 cm hair segment, and height, weight, and waist circumference were objectively measured. Covariates included age, sex, socioeconomic status, smoking status, diabetes, and arthritis.

Results: In cross-sectional analyses, hair cortisol concentrations were positively correlated with weight (r = 0.102, P < 0.001), BMI (r = 0.101, P < 0.001), and waist circumference (r = 0.082, P = 0.001) and were significantly elevated in participants with obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2 ) (F = 6.58, P = 0.001) and raised waist circumference (≥102 cm in men, ≥88 cm in women) (F = 4.87, P = 0.027). Hair cortisol levels were also positively associated with the persistence of obesity (F = 12.70, P < 0.001), evaluated in retrospect over 4 years.

Conclusions: Chronic exposure to elevated cortisol concentrations, assessed in hair, is associated with markers of adiposity and with the persistence of obesity over time.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean hair cortisol concentrations by weight status: normal weight; (BMI 18.5‐24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2), obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). Data weighted for sampling probabilities and differential nonresponse and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, hair treatment, and smoking status. SE, standard error.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean hair cortisol concentrations by waist circumference status: raised (≥102 cm in men, ≥88 cm in women), not raised (<102 cm in men, <88 cm in women). Data weighted for sampling probabilities and differential nonresponse and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, hair treatment, and smoking status. SE, standard error.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean hair cortisol concentrations in relation to the persistence of obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) over a 4‐year period. Data weighted for sampling probabilities and differential nonresponse and adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, hair treatment, and smoking status. SE, standard error.
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