TLDR People with Parkinson's disease have higher levels of cortisone in their hair, which may indicate chronic stress hormone dysfunction.
This study investigated hair glucocorticoid levels in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and found that hair cortisone levels (hairE) were significantly higher in PD patients compared to controls, while cortisol levels (hairF) were not. Hair cortisone levels were positively associated with non-motor symptoms of PD, such as mood and anxiety, but not with metabolic syndrome (MetS) comorbidity. These findings suggested that hair cortisone levels might provide additional insights into hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction in PD. The study included 56 females, with 25 PD patients and 31 controls.
157 citations
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June 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels increase with age, are higher in diabetics, vary by gender, decrease with frequent hair washing, and are lower in winter.
81 citations
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July 2008 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Certain mutations in the H6PD gene cause Cortisone Reductase Deficiency by affecting hormone production.
43 citations
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August 2010 in “Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs” Inhibitors of 11β-HSD1 show potential for treating type 2 diabetes but require more testing for safety and effectiveness.
11 citations
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May 2020 in “Frontiers in psychiatry” Child abuse is linked to higher BMI, but not because of hair cortisol or cortisone levels.
50 citations
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July 2018 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol can indicate long-term stress levels, but hair growth rate differences may affect accuracy.
May 2023 in “Animal Reproduction Update” High levels of cortisol in hair show long-term stress which can lower fertility in animals.
