A growing problem of obesity observed worldwide results in an increased interest of its pathogenesis. One hypothesis is the association between hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and obesity.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess cortisol and DHEA-S secretion and their association with body mass and other selected metabolic parameters.
Materials and methods: 91 obese patients and 50 non-obese controls were recruited. The obese group was further subdivided into metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy individuals. Blood cortisol was assessed in the morning and in the evening. Other laboratory and anthropometric parameters were also checked. In the obese group, DHEA-S was measured additionally and cortisol/DHEAS ratio calculated.
Results: Morning and evening cortisol concentrations were comparable in two studied groups (p>0.05). The only significant difference was the morning to evening cortisol amplitude (212.97±140.24 in the obese vs 171.81±94.00 in the non-obese, p=0.04). Cortisol secretion parameters were not correlated with age, body mass or BMI when whole group was analyzed. In the obese group morning cortisol was negatively correlated with body mass (r=-0.29, p=0.01) and cortisol amplitude with body mass (r=-0.26, p=0.02) and BMI (r=-0.22, p=0.04). DHEA-S was negatively correlated with fasting glucose (r=-0,48 p<0.01) and HOMA-IR (r=-0.26 p =0.03) in the obese group, although it was no longer significant after correcting for age.
Conclusions: There is no strong association between cortisol secretion parameters or DHEA-S and obesity; however, some alterations can be observed with increasing body mass. Further studies should explain their potential role in obesity pathogenesis.
Keywords: BMI; HPA axis; cardiovascular risk factors; cortisol; obesity; stress.
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