Predicting Hair Cortisol Levels With Hair Pigmentation Genes: A Possible Hair Pigmentation Bias

    August 2017 in “ Scientific Reports ”
    Alexander Neumann, Gerard Noppe, Fan Liu, Manfred Kayser, Frank C. Verhulst, Vincent W. V. Jaddoe, Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum, Henning Tiemeier
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    TLDR Darker hair may lead to higher cortisol readings, suggesting a need to adjust for hair color in studies.
    The study investigated the influence of hair pigmentation genes on hair cortisol levels in 1,674 children, revealing that darker hair, as indicated by a polygenic score, was associated with higher cortisol levels. This suggested a potential bias in cortisol measurements due to hair color, which could affect the accuracy of multi-ancestry studies. The findings emphasized the need for researchers to adjust analyses for hair color or genetic markers to avoid bias, particularly in genetically diverse populations. Despite adjustments for genetic ancestry, residual confounding could not be entirely ruled out, highlighting the importance of considering hair pigmentation as a confounding factor in hair cortisol research.
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