237 citations
,
September 2018 in “Clinical Biochemistry” Hair cortisol analysis can help diagnose stress-related conditions but needs more refinement for widespread use.
189 citations
,
January 2014 in “Journal of Visualized Experiments” Hair cortisol analysis effectively measures long-term stress.
157 citations
,
June 2015 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair cortisol and cortisone levels increase with age, are higher in diabetics, vary by gender, decrease with frequent hair washing, and are lower in winter.
122 citations
,
October 2010 in “Clinica Chimica Acta” Washing hair with water or shampoo lowers cortisol levels in hair.
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.
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.
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.
33 citations
,
January 2017 in “Psychoneuroendocrinology” Hair dyeing and washing frequency do not affect hair cortisol levels.
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
,
May 2019 in “Animals” High hair cortisol levels indicate stress in cows due to poor shelter conditions and health issues.
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 2017 in “MethodsX” Methanol is better than isopropanol for washing grizzly bear hair to measure cortisol.
9 citations
,
February 2020 in “Stress” Children with lower inhibitory control experience more stress when starting third grade.
7 citations
,
May 2021 in “General and comparative endocrinology” Muskoxen's qiviut cortisol levels indicate their stress hormone activity over the hair growth period.
2 citations
,
June 2021 in “Medicine” High levels of cortisol in hair are linked to a greater risk of brain aneurysm rupture.
4 citations
,
March 2013 in “Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment” A woman with anorexia and Cushing's syndrome improved after tumor removal, highlighting the need to consider hormonal issues in psychiatric conditions.
1 citations
,
September 2020 in “Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Case Reports” The conclusion is that thorough investigation of hypertension and hormonal dysfunctions is important, and there may be a link between these conditions and cancer.
October 2025 in “Journal of the Endocrine Society” Surgery improved symptoms and normalized hormone levels in a woman with an adrenal tumor.
April 2024 in “JCEM case reports” A woman's rare benign tumor that released both cortisol and testosterone was successfully removed, improving her health.
16 citations
,
January 2021 in “Frontiers in veterinary science” Pigs in farrowing crates and loose-housing systems showed no difference in chronic stress levels as measured by hair cortisol.
90 citations
,
July 2014 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair cortisol levels in brown bears can be affected by both long-term and short-term stress.
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.
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.
22 citations
,
January 2010 in “Clinical Medicine Insights Endocrinology and Diabetes” Forearm hair has more cortisol than lower leg hair.
21 citations
,
January 2020 in “Conservation Physiology” Hair follicles increase hair cortisol levels, so consistent hair collection methods are important.
16 citations
,
March 2000 in “Clinical Biochemistry” Women with hair loss had higher levels of certain hormones, suggesting a link to a condition like PCOS.
13 citations
,
October 2002 in “Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods” Men with male-pattern baldness have higher levels of certain testosterone metabolites and may have more active androgen metabolism.
11 citations
,
September 2020 in “Steroids” A new method accurately measures steroid hormones in a few hair strands and could help study chronic stress and hair loss.
11 citations
,
May 2020 in “Frontiers in psychiatry” Child abuse is linked to higher BMI, but not because of hair cortisol or cortisone levels.