Morning cortisol is not associated with truncal fatness or resting blood pressure in children: cross-sectional and 1-2 year follow-up analyses.

Objective: To evaluate the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships of morning cortisol with trunk fat and resting blood pressure (BP) in children.

Methods: Participants included 72 children aged 4-10 years (mean 7.4 yrs) for the cross-sectional analysis and 58 for the longitudinal analysis. Height, weight, waist circumference, body fat by dual x-ray absorptiometry, and resting BP measures were obtained during a laboratory visit. Saliva samples were collected at home on a single morning and assayed for cortisol.

Results: Approximately 21% were overweight (15.3%) or obese (5.6%). Mean morning cortisol was 0.25 +/- 0.12 microg/dL (6.99 +/- 3.46 nmol/L). There were no significant correlations between morning cortisol and any of the measures of fatness (r < -0.17) or BP (r < -0.10) at baseline. Cortisol at baseline was not associated with changes in body size parameters after the 1- and 2-year followup period.

Conclusion: Morning cortisol was not associated with body fatness or BP. Future studies should examine the associations between the diurnal cortisol patterns, trunk fat, and BP by collecting samples throughout an entire day.