Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Adolescent Girls With Anorexia Nervosa Are Lower Compared to Healthy and Psychiatric Controls

August 2016 in “ European Eating Disorders Review ”

Manuel Föcker, Tobias Stalder, Clemens Kirschbaum, Muriel Albrecht, F. Dennette Adams, Martina de Zwaan, Johannes Hebebrand, Triinu Peters, Özgür Albayrak

hair cortisol concentration cortisol secretion anorexia nervosa hair follicles

TLDR Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have lower hair cortisol levels than healthy and psychiatric peers.

The study analyzed hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a long-term marker of cortisol secretion in 22 female adolescent inpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN), compared to 20 healthy controls (HC) and 117 psychiatric controls (PC). Results showed that HCC was lower in AN patients compared to HC, with a significant correlation between HCC and body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores, but not age. This suggested that HCC might reflect BMI-related changes rather than specific endocrine alterations due to AN. The study also proposed that disturbances in hair follicles, previously reported in AN patients, might affect cortisol incorporation into hair.

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