Abstract
Background
The salivary circadian diurnal cortisol plays an important role in growth and development. Inappropriate levels may induce changes associated with an increased risk of obesity later in life. It is unknown if there are differences in cortisol secretion pattern between overweight/obese infants when compared with theirs peers in infancy. Thus, this study aimed to compare the salivary cortisol secretion pattern in overweight/obese and normal-weight infants.
Methods
Thirty-three (overweight/obese = 17 and normal weight = 16) infants between 6 and 24 months of age had saliva samples collected upon awakening (T1), 30 min after waking (T2), at 12:00 am or before the baby’s meal (T3), and prior to bedtime (T4). Highly sensitive enzyme immunoassays were used for cortisol analyses.
Results
Salivary cortisol levels were similar between the groups: T1 (p = 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −5.65, 1.37), T2 (p = 0.24; 95% CI: −8.23, 2.17), T3 (p = 0.95; 95% CI: −3.16, 2.96), and T4 (p = 0.81; 95% CI: −1.39, 1.08); and no differences were observed between area under the curve (AUC) (p = 0.80; 95% CI: −4.58–13.66). The cortisol level reduced in T4 (95% CI: 1.35–2.96) compared to T1 (95% CI: 5.15–8.49) and T2 in the overweight/obese group (p < 0.001; 95% CI: 6.02–11.04). In the normal-weight group, the cortisol reduced in T3 (95% CI: 2.86–8.18) compared to T1 (95% CI: 5.64–12.28) and decreased until T4 (p = 0.001; 95% CI: 1.25–3.37).
Conclusions
The overweight/obese infant group presented a different pattern of cortisol secretion, although cortisol levels did not differ between the control group.
Acknowledgments
We are thankful to the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri for institutional support, the CNPq, FAPEMIG (APQ-01898-18, Funder Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004901), and CAPES for financial support and scholarships.
Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.
References
1. Wijnhoven T, Raaij J, Spinelli A, Rito AI, Hovengen R, et al. WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative 2008: weight, height and body mass index in 6–9-year-old children. Pediatr Obes 2013;8:79–97.10.1111/j.2047-6310.2012.00090.xSearch in Google Scholar
2. Lobstein T, Jackson-Leach R. Estimated burden of paediatric obesity and co-morbidities in Europe. Part 2. Numbers of children with indicators of obesity-related disease. Int J Pediatr Obes 2006;1:33–41.10.1080/17477160600586689Search in Google Scholar
3. Kyrou I, Chrousos GP, Tsigos C. Stress, visceral obesity, and metabolic complications. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2006;1083:77–110.10.1196/annals.1367.008Search in Google Scholar
4. Brady TM. Obesity-related hypertension in children. Front Pediatr 2017;5:197.10.3389/fped.2017.00197Search in Google Scholar
5. Kim J, Peterson KE, Scanlon KS, Fitzmaurice GM, Must A, et al. Trends in overweight from 1980 through 2001 among preschool-aged children enrolled in a health maintenance organization. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2006;14:1107–12.10.1038/oby.2006.126Search in Google Scholar
6. Wright CM, Parker L, Lamont D, Craft AW. Implications of childhood obesity for adult health: findings from thousand families cohort study. Br Med J 2001;323:1280–4.10.1136/bmj.323.7324.1280Search in Google Scholar
7. Silverwood R, De Stavola BL, Cole TJ, Leon DA. BMI peak in infancy as a predictor for later BMI in the Uppsala Family Study. Int J Obes (London) 2009;33:929–37.10.1038/ijo.2009.108Search in Google Scholar
8. Druet C, Stettler N, Sharp S, Simmons RK, Cooper C, et al. Prediction of childhood obesity by infancy weight gain: an individual-level meta-analysis. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2012;26:19–26.10.1111/j.1365-3016.2011.01213.xSearch in Google Scholar
9. Incollingo Rodriguez AC, Epel ES, White ML, Standen EC, Seckl JR, et al. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation and cortisol activity in obesity: a systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015;62:301–18.10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.08.014Search in Google Scholar
10. Björntorp P, Rosmond R. Obesity and cortisol. Nutrition 2000;16:924–36.10.1016/S0899-9007(00)00422-6Search in Google Scholar
11. Watamura SE, Donzella B, Kertes DA, Gunnar MR. Developmental changes in baseline cortisol activity in early childhood: relations with napping and effortful control. Dev Psychobiol 2004;45:125–33.10.1002/dev.20026Search in Google Scholar
12. Keil MF. Salivary cortisol: a tool for biobehavioral research in children. J Pediatr Nurs 2012;27:287–9.10.1016/j.pedn.2012.02.003Search in Google Scholar
13. Michels N, Sioen I, De Vriendt T, Huybrechts I, Vanaelst B, et al. Children’s morning and evening salivary cortisol: pattern, instruction compliance and sampling confounders. Horm Res Paediatr 2012;77:27–35.10.1159/000334412Search in Google Scholar
14. Ivars K, Nelson N, Theodorsson A, Theodorsson E, Ström JO, et al. Development of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm and reference intervals in full-term infants. PLoS One 2015;10:e0129502.10.1371/journal.pone.0129502Search in Google Scholar
15. Santiago LB, Jorge SM, Moreira AC. Longitudinal evaluation of the development of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm in infancy. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1996;44:157–61.10.1046/j.1365-2265.1996.645466.xSearch in Google Scholar
16. de Weerth C, Zijl RH, Buitelaar JK. Development of cortisol circadian rhythm in infancy. Early Hum Dev 2003;73:39–52.10.1016/S0378-3782(03)00074-4Search in Google Scholar
17. Neu M, Goldstein M, Gao D, Laudenslager ML. Salivary cortisol in preterm infants: validation of a simple method for collecting saliva for cortisol determination. Early Hum Dev 2007;83:47–54.10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2006.04.003Search in Google Scholar PubMed
18. Gozansky W, Lynn J, Laudenslager M, Kohrt W. Salivary cortisol determined by enzyme immunoassay is preferable to serum total cortisol for assessment of dynamic hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 2005;63:336–41.10.1111/j.1365-2265.2005.02349.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
19. Chu L, Sheng K, Liu P, Ye K, Wang Y, et al. Increased cortisol and cortisone levels in overweight children. Med Sci Monit Basic Res 2017;23:25–30.10.12659/MSMBR.902707Search in Google Scholar
20. Kjölhede EA, Gustafsson PE, Gustafsson P, Nelson N. Overweight and obese children have lower cortisol levels than normal weight children. Acta Paediatr 2014;103:295–9.10.1111/apa.12499Search in Google Scholar PubMed
21. de Onis M, Lobstein T. Defining obesity risk status in the general childhood population: which cut-offs should we use? Int J Pediatr Obes 2010;5:458–60.10.3109/17477161003615583Search in Google Scholar PubMed
22. World Health Organization. WHO Anthro (version 3.2. 2, January 2011) and macros. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization; 2011.Search in Google Scholar
23. Brazilian Association of Research Companies. [Brazilian Criteria of Economic Classification]. Brazilian Association of Research Companies. Available at: http://www.abep.org/criterio-brasil. Accessed: 15 Apr 2015.Search in Google Scholar
24. Martinelli CE Jr, Sader SL, Oliveira EB, Daneluzzi JC, Moreira AC. Salivary cortisol for screening of Cushing’s syndrome in children. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1999;51:67–71.10.1046/j.1365-2265.1999.00749.xSearch in Google Scholar PubMed
25. Miller AL, Kaciroti N, Sturza J, Retzloff L, Rosenblum K, et al. Associations between stress biology indicators and overweight across toddlerhood. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017;79:98–106.10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.02.013Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
26. Entringer S, Buss C, Rasmussen JM, Lindsay K, Gillen DL, et al. Maternal cortisol during pregnancy and infant adiposity: a prospective investigation. J Clin Endocrinol Metabol 2017;102:1366–74.10.1210/jc.2016-3025Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
27. Fu J, Weng T, Tao F. Cortisol response to Trier Social Stress test among Chinese adolescents. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2012;25:1213–6.10.1515/jpem-2012-0234Search in Google Scholar PubMed
28. Andiarena A, Balluerka N, Murcia M, Ibarluzea J, Glover V, et al. Evening salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase at 14 months and neurodevelopment at 4 years: sex differences. Horm Behav 2017;94:135–44.10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.07.008Search in Google Scholar PubMed
29. Hershberger A, McCammon M, Garry J, Mahar M, Hickner R. Responses of lipolysis and salivary cortisol to food intake and physical activity in lean and obese children. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004;89:4701–7.10.1210/jc.2003-031144Search in Google Scholar PubMed
30. Wirix AJ, Finken MJ, von Rosenstiel-Jadoul IA, Heijboer AC, Nauta J, et al. Is there an association between cortisol and hypertension in overweight or obese children? J Clin Res Pediatr Endocrinol 2017;9:344–9.10.4274/jcrpe.4802Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
31. Lumeng JC, Miller A, Peterson KE, Kaciroti N, Sturza J, et al. Diurnal cortisol pattern, eating behaviors and overweight in low-income preschool-aged children. Appetite 2014;73:65–72.10.1016/j.appet.2013.10.016Search in Google Scholar PubMed PubMed Central
32. Pervanidou P, Bastaki D, Chouliaras G, Papanikolaou K, Laios E, et al. Circadian cortisol profiles, anxiety and depressive symptomatology, and body mass index in a clinical population of obese children. Stress 2013;16:34–43.10.3109/10253890.2012.689040Search in Google Scholar PubMed
33. Ouellet-Morin I, Boivin M, Dionne G, Lupien SJ, Arsenault L, et al. Variations in heritability of cortisol reactivity to stress as a function of early familial adversity among 19-month-old twins. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2008;65:211–8.10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.27Search in Google Scholar PubMed
34. Cordero MI, Moser DA, Manini A, Suardi F, Sancho-Rossignol A, et al. Effects of interpersonal violence-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on mother and child diurnal cortisol rhythm and cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stressor involving separation. Horm Behav 2017;90:15–24.10.1016/j.yhbeh.2017.02.007Search in Google Scholar PubMed
©2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
