Serum and Hair Steroid Profiles and Their Associations with Body Composition in Adolescence

This study, involving 241 adolescents from the PANIC study in Kuopio, Finland, explored the use of hair steroid profiling as a non-invasive alternative to serum analysis for assessing steroid hormones. Hair samples effectively detected a wide range of steroids, providing insights into long-term hormone exposure and metabolism. The research found that androgen levels in hair correlated more strongly with body size and composition in boys than in girls. Significant sex differences in steroid profiles were observed, with boys showing higher androgen levels and girls higher progestagen levels. The study suggests that hair analysis could complement blood tests in clinical endocrinology, although further validation is needed across different developmental stages and disease contexts.