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.

Reframing the understanding of stress can make a big difference to students' wellbeing, success

Sweaty palms during a job interview. Racing heartbeat before the walk down the aisle. Stomach pains ahead of a final exam. Many of us have experienced a classic stress response in new, unusual, or high-pressure circumstances.

16 Sep 2021

High levels of stress hormones associated with hypertension and cardiovascular events

Adults with normal blood pressure and high levels of stress hormones were more likely to develop high blood pressure and experience cardiovascular events compared to those who had lower stress hormone levels, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.

13 Sep 2021

Increase in social stress may be connected to global population decline

A University of Massachusetts Amherst environmental health scientist has developed an "overlooked hypothesis" to help explain the projected global population decline beginning in 2064: social stress.

7 Sep 2021

Researchers use hair cortisol test to detect the impact of COVID-19 on stress levels in families

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Global TIES for Children and researchers at University of California Davis (Paul Hastings and Lindsey Partington) as well as Hashemite University in Jordan (Rana Dajani), have used a hair cortisol test to detect the impact of COVID-19 on stress levels in families.

6 Sep 2021

Can COVID-19 vaccines affect athletic performance in the short term?

Getting the COVID-19 vaccine — especially the second shot — can produce minor side effects such as aches and fever that tend to go away after a day or two. Adding to the list, a small study from the University of Arizona found that people may find it slightly challenging to exercise after getting a two-dose coronavirus vaccine.

3 Sep 2021

Cognitive function of older adults could be improved through multidomain lifestyle interventions

Aging-US published "Facility-based and home-based multidomain interventions including cognitive training, exercise, diet, vascular risk management, and motivation for older adults: a randomized controlled feasibility trial" which reported that in an outcome assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial, participants without dementia and with one or more modifiable dementia risk factors, aged 60-79 years, were randomly assigned to the facility-based MI, the home-based MI, or the control group receiving general health advice.

28 Aug 2021

Exposure to woodland benefits adolescents’ cognition and mental health

Analysis of children and young people's proximity to woodlands has shown links with better cognitive development and a lower risk of emotional and behavioral problems, in research led by UCL and Imperial College London scientists that could influence planning decisions in urban areas.

19 Jul 2021

Reducing the impacts of stress on working cancer caregivers

It's difficult enough when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, but employed spouses of those who receive the diagnosis also are confronted with an array of practical problems. It's now up to them to untangle issues around medical leave, health insurance, caregiving benefits, and more.

15 Jul 2021

Exploring links between stress, choline deficiency, preterm births, and mental illness

In two recent articles published in Schizophrenia Bulletin, Sharon Hunter, PhD, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and M. Camille Hoffman, MD, MSc, an associate professor in the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, along with their research group, have uncovered a potential link between choline deficiency in Black pregnant women in the United States and increased risk of developmental and behavioral issues that can evolve into mental illness later in their children's lives.

7 Jul 2021

New microchip can measure stress hormones in real time from a drop of blood

A Rutgers-led team of researchers has developed a microchip that can measure stress hormones in real time from a drop of blood.

1 Jul 2021

Communicating with female friends decreases stress hormone levels for women across the lifespan

Directing a meeting, dialing up an old acquaintance, dictating the perfect tuna salad sandwich across a drive-through window. For business and for pleasure, human beings are in constant communication.

1 Jul 2021

How does dexamethasone therapy work in severe COVID-19?

The possible mechanisms that result in dexamethasone being an effective drug against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection are investigated in a new study. The paper’s authors advance the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 infection induces cell-specific insensitivity to glucocorticoids, possibly as an unintentional result of the viral replication cycle.

29 Jun 2021

Antagonism of glucocorticoid receptors promotes apoptosis in solid tumor cells

Oncotarget published "Glucocorticoid receptor antagonism promotes apoptosis in solid tumor cells" which reported that to guide studies in cancer patients, relacorilant, an investigational selective GR modulator that antagonizes cortisol activity, was assessed in various tumor types, with multiple cytotoxic combination partners, and in the presence of physiological cortisol concentrations.

28 Jun 2021

Study examines the role of spirituality in health, well-being of breast cancer survivors

Throughout her 20-year career as a nurse practitioner, Jennifer Hulett noticed survivors of breast cancer would often express gratitude for being alive and mention God or a divine acknowledgement that had improved their health and well-being.

23 Jun 2021

Little-known illnesses turning up in Covid long-haulers

The day Dr. Elizabeth Dawson was diagnosed with covid-19 in October, she awoke feeling as if she had a bad hangover. Four months later she tested negative for the virus, but her symptoms have only worsened.

1 Jun 2021

Emotional support animals can provide quantifiable benefits to people with serious mental illness

A team led by a social work researcher at The University of Toledo has published the first empirical evidence that emotional support animals can provide quantifiable benefits to individuals with serious mental illness who are experiencing depression, anxiety and loneliness.

21 May 2021

New biomarker of glucocorticoid action could help clinicians to tailor treatments

Researchers have uncovered pathways involved in the body's response to glucocorticoid treatments and identified a novel biomarker that could be used to monitor how these drugs work in patients, according to a clinical study published today in eLife.

6 Apr 2021

Mother's stress levels during conception could be a determinant of fetal sex

A study carried out by scientists from the University of Granada has revealed that women who experience stress both before becoming pregnant and during conception are almost twice as likely to have a girl as a boy.

6 Apr 2021

Study uncovers mechanism to help explain how maternal stress causes idiopathic preterm birth

Preterm birth is a leading cause of infant deaths and illness in the U.S. -- yet its underlying molecular causes remain largely unclear. About 40 to 50% of preterm births, defined as births before 37 weeks of pregnancy, are estimated to be "idiopathic," meaning they arise from unexplained or spontaneous labor.

9 Mar 2021

Multisystem intervention could potentially prevent or reverse frailty, research shows

Physicians understand frailty as a dysregulation among multiple systems in the body that make it less resilient and unable to recover completely when faced with a physical challenge such as injury or illness.

8 Mar 2021