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Associations of Hair Biomarkers with Height, Weight, and Body Mass Index in Preschool Children

Anjali Gupta1, Cynthia R Rovnaghi1, Kanwaljeet J S Anand1,2

  • 1Child Wellness Lab, Maternal & Child Health Research Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Children (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 27, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Adverse childhood experiences impact child growth. Hair cortisol and oxytocin levels in children and mothers correlate with child BMI, reflecting early life experiences.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Biomarker Research

Background:

  • Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation.
  • This dysregulation can negatively affect child growth and development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between hair cortisol (HCC) and oxytocin (HOC) concentrations in children and mothers with child growth parameters.
  • To explore the relationship between maternal ACEs and child growth.

Main Methods:

  • The Hair Biomarkers Study (HBS-I) analyzed hair samples from 1189 healthy preschool children.
  • Measurements included hair cortisol (HCC) and oxytocin (HOC) via ELISA, alongside anthropometrics.
  • Linear regressions examined associations between biomarkers, ACEs, and BMI percentiles, adjusting for sociodemographics.

Main Results:

  • Higher child HCC correlated with increased BMI percentile; higher child HOC correlated with decreased BMI.
  • Maternal HCC and HOC showed similar associations with child BMI percentiles.
  • Maternal ACEs (2-3 vs. 0-1) were linked to increased child weight and BMI percentiles.

Conclusions:

  • Hair cortisol and oxytocin levels in children and mothers are associated with child BMI percentiles.
  • These hair biomarkers may indicate the impact of early life experiences on child development.
  • Findings highlight the potential of hair biomarkers in assessing early childhood growth and environmental influences.

Keywords:
adversitybiomarkerscortisolearly childhoodoverweightoxytocin

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