Serum and Hair Steroid Profiles and Their Associations with Body Composition in Adolescence
November 2025
in “
Open Access CRIS of the University of Bern
”
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Studysummary This study compared serum and hair steroid hormone profiles in adolescents and found that hair steroid profiling is a feasible, non-invasive alternative to serum analysis, with androgen levels in both mediums correlating more strongly with body size and composition in boys than in girls.
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This study compared serum and hair steroid hormone profiles in 241 adolescents (104 girls, 137 boys) from the PANIC study in Finland, focusing on their associations with body size and composition. Hair samples showed distinct steroid profiles, including pregnenolone and various androgens, indicating active peripheral metabolism. Androgen levels correlated more strongly with body size and composition in boys than girls, suggesting sex-specific metabolic regulation. The findings suggest that hair steroid profiling is a feasible, non-invasive alternative to serum analysis, capturing systemic hormone levels and localized metabolic activity, with potential applications in clinical endocrinology pending further validation.
