199 citations
,
July 2007 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” Hair cortisol can reliably indicate chronic stress in cats and dogs.
189 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” Hair cortisol analysis effectively measures long-term stress.
122 citations
,
October 2013 in “PEDIATRICS” Maternal stress during pregnancy affects a child's stress levels.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
101 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” The method effectively measures long-term stress levels using hair samples.
90 citations
,
July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
80 citations
,
January 2011 in “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)” Hair cortisol levels can reflect salivary cortisol levels in humans.
76 citations
,
October 2011 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Hot water and UV exposure reduce hair cortisol levels, with the back of the head showing the most consistent levels.
69 citations
,
August 2016 in “PubMed” High stress can disrupt hair growth, but certain supplements might help.
69 citations
,
May 2016 in “General and Comparative Endocrinology” External factors can significantly affect hair cortisol levels, so it's not always a reliable stress marker.
65 citations
,
December 1986 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism” The woman had a genetic condition causing high cortisol and androgen levels, treatable with dexamethasone.
50 citations
,
November 2020 in “Physiology & behavior” People with depression often have higher hair cortisol levels, while those with PTSD tend to have lower levels, but more research is needed to understand this fully.
50 citations
,
July 2018 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol can indicate long-term stress levels, but hair growth rate differences may affect accuracy.
50 citations
,
June 2014 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair hormone levels can indicate obesity-related changes and are useful for research and clinical practice.
47 citations
,
January 2016 in “MethodsX” Hair cortisol analysis is a reliable tool for monitoring long-term stress in captive chimpanzees if certain variables are controlled.
44 citations
,
June 2018 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” A culturally sensitive method was developed to collect hair samples from African Americans for stress analysis.
44 citations
,
February 2016 in “Zoology” Hair cortisol levels in primates are useful for stress assessment but vary by age, sex, species, and hair collection methods.
43 citations
,
January 1999 in “Endocrinology” Cortisol increases a specific protein in bone cells, which may help explain its negative effects on bone.
33 citations
,
January 2017 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair dyeing and washing frequency do not affect hair cortisol levels.
30 citations
,
July 2023 in “Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)” Cortisone in hair is a more reliable indicator of stress hormone exposure than cortisol.
24 citations
,
October 2018 in “Addiction Biology” Alcohol dependence affects stress hormone levels more than childhood maltreatment.
23 citations
,
October 2008 in “Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes” Hair can show increased cortisol levels during late pregnancy.
23 citations
,
January 2016 in “Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry” First-episode psychosis patients have higher hair cortisol levels, indicating early stress response issues.
22 citations
,
January 2010 in “Clinical Medicine Insights Endocrinology and Diabetes” Forearm hair has more cortisol than lower leg hair.
22 citations
,
August 2016 in “European Eating Disorders Review” Adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa have lower hair cortisol levels than healthy and psychiatric peers.
21 citations
,
January 2020 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair follicles increase hair cortisol levels, so consistent hair collection methods are important.
21 citations
,
January 2016 in “NeuroImmunoModulation” Hair cortisol levels can indicate stress over the past three months.
16 citations
,
March 2013 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Cortisol and cortisone release from hair increases in steps over time during incubation.
16 citations
,
August 2007 in “Histopathology” A woman's rare adrenal tumor caused high testosterone and cortisol levels, which normalized after the tumor was removed.
11 citations
,
May 2020 in “Frontiers in psychiatry” Child abuse is linked to higher BMI, but not because of hair cortisol or cortisone levels.