Cortisol News and Research

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Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). It helps the body use glucose (a sugar), protein, and fats. Cortisol made in the laboratory is called hydrocortisone. It is used to treat many conditions, including inflammation, allergies, and some cancers. Cortisol is a type of glucocorticoid hormone.

Animal-assisted interventions help reduce patient stress in aeromedical staging facilities

They're physically and emotionally wounded – most likely suffering from post-traumatic stress. Members of the United States military who serve abroad often return to the U.S. to treat their injuries and must be transported by aeromedical evacuation between medical facilities.

23 Aug 2019

Genetic variant increases risk of addiction in the presence of childhood stress

What causes some people to become alcoholics or drug abusers when faced with stress, but not others? This question has plagued addiction researchers for decades.

19 Aug 2019

Winter babies at 'higher risk of mental health disorders'

Babies born in winter may be at an increased risk of developing mental health disorders, as expectant mothers have higher levels of salivary cortisol.

5 Aug 2019

Johns Hopkins researchers link 'stressors' in middle age to memory decline in older women

A new analysis of data on more than 900 Baltimore adults by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has linked stressful life experiences among middle-aged women -- but not men -- to greater memory decline in later life.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 5 Aug 2019

Autonomic nervous system of babies functions well regardless of mode of delivery, study finds

Late in pregnancy, the human body carefully prepares fetuses for the rigors of life outside the protection of the womb. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, ramp up and spike during labor.

31 Jul 2019

Resveratrol shows promise for anxiety and depression

A new study has shown that the compound resveratrol found in red wine demonstrates stress relieving effects in anxiety and depression. This could be due to resveratrol’s ability to control an enzyme in the brain that is liked to stress say the researchers from the University at Buffalo in collaboration with Xuzhou Medical University in China.

29 Jul 2019

Stress may cause vocal disorders

Do you feel anxious about talking in front of the crowd and feel as if there’s a frog in your throat? New reseach says that stress may be the culprit for such vocal issues.

25 Jul 2019

A lock of hair could one day aid in the diagnosis of depression in teens

It's possible that a lock of hair could one day aid in the diagnosis of depression and in efforts to monitor the effects of treatment, said the author of a new study examining cortisol levels in the hair of teens.

24 Jul 2019

UTHealth researchers investigate how to reduce stress-driven alcohol use

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) are investigating if a medication used to regulate blood sugar can alter motivation to use alcohol by targeting the brain's stress response system.

17 Jul 2019

Dogs and cats relieve academic stress and lift students' mood, according to a new study

A new study has revealed that petting dogs and cats can relieve feelings of stress and pressure in college students with a high academic workload

16 Jul 2019

Extremely strenuous exercise can overload the heart without increasing cardiac risk

Researchers have found no evidence of elevated cardiac risk in runners who completed a 24-hour ultramarathon (24UM), despite the transient elevation of blood biomarkers that measure cardiac health.

28 Jun 2019

Study: Stress experienced by premature infants can carry on throughout their adult life

The stress premature infants experience can carry on throughout their adult life, causing cognitive limitations, social struggles at work or in school, and a greater risk of health ailments, including cardiac conditions, one of the longest-running U.S. studies of premature infants has shown.

26 Jun 2019

Doctors urged to prescribe woodland walks for mental health problems

The Woodland Trust says the Japanese practice of “forest bathing” should be prescribed by doctors to tackle stress and other mental health problems.

10 Jun 2019

Posture impacts taste perception, finds study

Summertime is often filled with outdoor parties and food trucks, meaning you're spending more time standing up and eating. But if you want to actually enjoy your meal, researchers say you're better off finding a seat.

8 Jun 2019

Stress-induced changes in heart rate may impair auditory perception

Sudden hearing loss can be experienced in highly stressful situations, usually lasting a short time. Researchers at São Paulo State University in Brazil, collaborating with colleagues at Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom, have reported a discovery that contributes to a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.

7 Jun 2019

Scientists discover biological reason why women are more likely to develop adrenal disorders

Scientists have discovered a potential biological reason why women are more likely to develop adrenal disorders, including cancer.

22 May 2019

Cannabis could help people with opioid addiction

A new study has shown that cannabidiol or CBD, found in cannabis, could help people with opioid use disorder or addiction. CBD can help reduce the symptoms of craving among addicts when on withdrawal from the opioid and also reduce the accompanying anxiety and restlessness write the authors of the study.

22 May 2019

Cannabidiol reduces cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with history of heroin abuse

Cannabidiol reduced cue-induced craving and anxiety in individuals with a history of heroin abuse, suggesting a potential role for it in helping to break the cycle of addiction, according to research conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published May 21 in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

21 May 2019

Dogs can help improve mood of patients waiting for emergency hospital care

A visit from a dog can reduce the distress of patients waiting for emergency treatment in hospital, a study by the University of Saskatchewan shows.

1 May 2019

Prenatal stress may be involved in shaping psychiatric resilience later in life

Maternal stress during or after pregnancy has been repeatedly associated with subsequent psychiatric problems and non-coding 'epigenetic' DNA changes during childhood.

30 Apr 2019