Walking training and cortisol to DHEA-S ratio in postmenopause: An intervention study

The literature indicates that the plasma cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) ratio is a marker of health status after menopause, when a decline in both estrogen and DHEA-S and an increase in cortisol occur. An increase in the cortisol-to-DHEA-S ratio has been positively correlated with metabolic syndrome, all-cause mortality, cancer, and other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a walking program on the plasma cortisol-to-DHEA-S ratio in postmenopausal women. Fifty-one postmenopausal women participated in a 13-week supervised walking program, in the metropolitan area of Pescara (Italy), from June to September 2013. Participants were evaluated in April-May and September-October of the same year. The linear mixed model showed that the variation of the log₁₀Cortisol-to-log₁₀DHEA-S ratio was associated with the volume of exercise (p = .03). Participants having lower adherence to the walking program did not have a significantly modified log₁₀Cortisol or log₁₀DHEA-S, while those having the highest adherence had a significant reduction in log₁₀Cortisol (p = .016) and a nearly significant increase in log₁₀DHEA-S (p = .084). Walking training appeared to reduce the plasma log₁₀Cortisol-to-log₁₀DHEA-S ratio, although a minimum level of training was necessary to achieve this significant reduction.