Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Childhood obesity has been linked to physical and psychological comorbidities that can be carried into adulthood. A bidirectional link between body weight and the stress system appears to exist, as cortisol may affect the regulation of appetite, while adiposity can affect cortisol secretion. Among t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/5/715 |
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| author | Rosa Anna Kitani Konstantina Letsou Ioulia Kokka Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein Flora Bacopoulou |
| author_facet | Rosa Anna Kitani Konstantina Letsou Ioulia Kokka Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein Flora Bacopoulou |
| author_sort | Rosa Anna Kitani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Childhood obesity has been linked to physical and psychological comorbidities that can be carried into adulthood. A bidirectional link between body weight and the stress system appears to exist, as cortisol may affect the regulation of appetite, while adiposity can affect cortisol secretion. Among the biological tissues used to evaluate cortisol concentrations, scalp hair can provide retrospective measures. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the difference in hair cortisol concentrations between obese and non-obese minors ≤ 19 years of age. Children and adolescents with genetic, somatic or psychiatric comorbidities were excluded. The work was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, using prespecified search terms in the Pubmed database. The initial search yielded 56 studies, while the last step of the screening procedure concluded in 9 observational studies. Among them, the results could be characterized as inconclusive. Five of them demonstrated significantly higher hair cortisol concentrations in obese children and adolescents than normal weight subjects. On the contrary, the remaining four found no statistically significant differences in hair cortisol concentrations between obese and non-obese subjects. Different methodologies applied, and confounding factors could explain the inconsistency in the findings. Further research is needed to provide more solid results. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:08:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-140fd40899634736a2cd1424de90b48c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:08:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-140fd40899634736a2cd1424de90b48c2023-11-23T10:31:19ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672022-05-019571510.3390/children9050715Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic ReviewRosa Anna Kitani0Konstantina Letsou1Ioulia Kokka2Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein3Flora Bacopoulou4Postgraduate Course on the Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, GreecePostgraduate Course on the Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, GreecePostgraduate Course on the Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, GreecePostgraduate Course on the Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, GreecePostgraduate Course on the Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 Soranou Ephessiou St., 11527 Athens, GreeceChildhood obesity has been linked to physical and psychological comorbidities that can be carried into adulthood. A bidirectional link between body weight and the stress system appears to exist, as cortisol may affect the regulation of appetite, while adiposity can affect cortisol secretion. Among the biological tissues used to evaluate cortisol concentrations, scalp hair can provide retrospective measures. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the difference in hair cortisol concentrations between obese and non-obese minors ≤ 19 years of age. Children and adolescents with genetic, somatic or psychiatric comorbidities were excluded. The work was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, using prespecified search terms in the Pubmed database. The initial search yielded 56 studies, while the last step of the screening procedure concluded in 9 observational studies. Among them, the results could be characterized as inconclusive. Five of them demonstrated significantly higher hair cortisol concentrations in obese children and adolescents than normal weight subjects. On the contrary, the remaining four found no statistically significant differences in hair cortisol concentrations between obese and non-obese subjects. Different methodologies applied, and confounding factors could explain the inconsistency in the findings. Further research is needed to provide more solid results.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/5/715hair cortisolstresschildrenadolescentsnon-obeseobese |
| spellingShingle | Rosa Anna Kitani Konstantina Letsou Ioulia Kokka Christina Kanaka-Gantenbein Flora Bacopoulou Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review Children hair cortisol stress children adolescents non-obese obese |
| title | Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Difference in Hair Cortisol Concentrations between Obese and Non-Obese Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | difference in hair cortisol concentrations between obese and non obese children and adolescents a systematic review |
| topic | hair cortisol stress children adolescents non-obese obese |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/9/5/715 |
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