The Associations of Hair Glucocorticoids with Socioeconomic Position and Type 2 Diabetes: Findings from the Maastricht Study

The study investigated the associations between hair glucocorticoids, socioeconomic position (SEP), and type 2 diabetes (T2D) using data from 291 participants aged 49-85 from The Maastricht Study. It found that while higher levels of hair glucocorticoids were associated with T2D, there was no evidence of a social gradient in hair glucocorticoid levels based on SEP indicators such as education, occupation, and income. Specifically, participants with intermediate education had lower hair glucocorticoids, but this was not observed with other SEP indicators. The study concluded that hair glucocorticoids were not a major factor in understanding socioeconomic health inequalities related to T2D, suggesting that future research should focus on perceived chronic stress and intersectional identities to explore these mechanisms further.