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Overweight and obese children have lower cortisol levels than normal weight children

E Allansson Kjölhede1, P E Gustafsson, P A Gustafsson

  • 1Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Pediatrics, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. elin.allansson@liu.se.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Cortisol levels, essential for survival, show a daily rhythm in children. Overweight and obese children have lower cortisol levels than normal-weight children, suggesting a link between stress and childhood obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric endocrinology
  • Chronobiology
  • Metabolic health

Background:

  • Cortisol, a vital stress hormone, plays a role in survival.
  • Disrupted circadian rhythms are linked to adverse health outcomes.
  • Limited data exists on cortisol levels in healthy children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortisol levels in relation to body mass index (BMI), age, and sex in children.
  • To understand the diurnal pattern of cortisol secretion in a pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • Salivary cortisol samples collected over four days from 342 children (aged 6-12).
  • Samples analyzed using enzyme immunoassay (EIA).
  • Height and weight measured to calculate BMI.

Main Results:

  • Children exhibited a clear circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion (morning peak, evening trough).
  • Significantly lower average cortisol levels observed in overweight/obese children compared to normal-weight children.
  • Cortisol levels did not significantly differ based on age or sex.

Conclusions:

  • Findings suggest potential cortisol suppression in overweight and obese children.
  • No influence of age or sex on cortisol levels was detected.
  • Further research is warranted to explore the stress-obesity relationship in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
Body mass indexchildcircadian rhythmcortisolobesity

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