Stress is not so bad-cortisol level and psychological functioning after 8-week HIIT program during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Amid extensive pregnancy exercise research, the impact of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on pregnant women's mental health is underexplored. Despite exercise benefits, it can trigger stress responses like elevated cortisol. This study fills the gap by investigating correlations between hair cortisol levels, mental health, and HIIT effects in pregnant women. Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial among 38 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 31.11 ± 4.03 years, 21.82 ± 4.30 week of gestation; mean ± SD). The experimental group comprised 22 women engaged in an 8-week high-intensity interval training program (HIIT). The comparative group consisted of 16 pregnant women undergoing an 8-week educational program (EDU). Before and after the interventions, all women were evaluated using the following tools: Hair cortisol level measurements, Beck Depression Inventory - II for depressive symptoms assessment, Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire for childbirth fear measurement, 12-item Short Form Health Survey to gage health-related quality of life, International Physical Activity Questionnaire for physical activity level estimation, and a Progressive maximal exercise test to evaluate maternal exercise capacity. Results: The key finding of our study reveals that women engaged in the HIIT intervention exhibited a distinct cortisol production pattern in contrast to the EDU group practicing standard moderate intensity physical activity. In the HIIT group, there was an increase in hair cortisol levels, while the EDU group showed a notable decrease. Remarkably, HIIT stimulated cortisol production without adversely impacting fear of childbirth and psychophysical condition during pregnancy. In fact, only the HIIT group showed a significant enhancement in mental health. Conclusion: No links were discovered between hair cortisol levels and the severity of depressive symptoms, psychophysical well-being, or fear of childbirth. Hence, based on our research, employing cortisol levels during pregnancy as an indicator of negative stress or depression risk appears unwarranted.

Hair cortisol level might be indicative for a 3PM approach towards suicide risk assessment in depression: comparative analysis of mentally stable and depressed individuals versus individuals after completing suicide.

Depression and suicidal behavior are interrelated, stress-associated mental health conditions, each lacking biological verifiability. Concepts of predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (3PM) are almost completely missing for both conditions but are of utmost importance. Prior research reported altered levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the scalp hair of depressed individuals, however, data on hair cortisol levels (HCL) for suicide completers (SC) are missing. Here, we aimed to identify differences in HCL between subject with depression (n = 20), SC (n = 45) and mentally stable control subjects (n = 12) to establish the usage of HCL as a new target for 3PM. HCL was measured in extracts of pulverized hair (1-cm and 3-cm hair segments) using ELISA. In 3-cm hair segments, an average increase in HCL for depressed patients (1.66 times higher; p = .011) and SC (5.46 times higher; p = 1.65 × 10-5) compared to that for controls was observed. Furthermore, the average HCL in SC was significantly increased compared to that in the depressed group (3.28 times higher; p = 1.4 × 10-5). A significant correlation between HCL in the 1-cm and the 3-cm hair segments, as well as a significant association between the severity of depressive symptoms and HCL (3-cm segment) was found. To conclude, findings of increased HCL in subjects with depression compared to that in controls were replicated and an additional increase in HCL was seen in SC in comparison to patients with depression. The usage of HCL for creating effective patient stratification and predictive approach followed by the targeted prevention and personalization of medical services needs to be validated in follow-up studies.

Are Hair Cortisol Levels of Humans, Cats, and Dogs from the Same Household Correlated?

Human-animal interactions and the emotional relationship of the owner with the pet are the subjects of many scientific studies and the constant interest of not only scientists but also pet owners. The aim of this study was to determine and compare the hair cortisol levels of dogs, cats, and their owners living in the same household. The owners were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the frequency of their interactions with pets and emotional relationship with each of their cats and each of their dogs. The study involved 25 women who owned at least one dog and at least one cat. In total, 45 dogs and 55 cats from 25 households participated in the study. The average level of hair cortisol of the owners was 4.62 ng/mL, of the dogs 0.26 ng/mL, and in the hair of cats 0.45 ng/mL. There was no significant correlation between the hair cortisol level of the owner and dog or the owner and the cat and between dogs and cats living together. A significant positive correlation was observed between the hair cortisol level in the owner and the pet, for dogs in which the owner performs grooming treatments once a week and for cats which are never kissed. Although our study did not find many significant correlations, studies using other stress markers might have yielded different results.