SynthesisPsychoneuroendocrinology2019
Basal cortisol, cortisol reactivity, and telomere length: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Genetics, epigenetics, and neurobiology of childhood-onset depression: an umbrella review.Molecular psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Association between Childhood Exposure to Family Violence and Telomere Length: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The relationship between circulating osteocalcin and muscle mass measurements in humans: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Sports medicine and health science · 2026Review
- Maternal health behavior during pregnancy mediates the relationship between maternal stress and newborn telomere length.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors and Stress Hormones Across Pregnancy Trimesters: Links with Maternal Telomere Length.Journal of xenobiotics · 2026Article
- A Twin Study on the Relation Between Positive Mental Health and Biological Aging.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Chronic inflammation mediates the relationship between physical activity and telomere length.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Age and gender intersectionality among African Americans: Salivary uric acid is associated with shorter telomere length in younger adults and men.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Associations of family affluence with cortisol production and telomere length in European children.EBioMedicine · 2025Article
- Stress and telomere length in leukocytes: Investigating the role of GABRA6 gene polymorphism and cortisol.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Exposure to diesel-related particulate matter, cortisol stress responsivity, and depressive symptoms in adolescents.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Causal effects of denture wearing on epigenetic age acceleration and the mediating pathways: a mendelian randomization study.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Parental Preconception Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Maternal Prenatal Inflammation Prospectively Predict Shorter Telomere Length in Children.Psychosomatic medicine · 2024Article
- The Social Environment Matters for Telomere Length and Internalizing Problems During Adolescence.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2024Article
- Maximal telomerase activity capacity (mTAC) underlies the link between the cortisol response to stress and telomere length.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2023Article
- The interaction of socioeconomic stress and race on telomere length in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- Impact of Heartfulness meditation practice on anxiety, perceived stress, well-being, and telomere length.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Adverse and traumatic exposures, posttraumatic stress disorder, telomere length, and hair cortisol - Exploring associations in a high-risk sample of young adult residential care leavers.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2022Article
- Higher hair cortisol concentrations associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in high-risk young adults.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Associations between circadian misalignment and telomere length in BD: an actigraphy study.International journal of bipolar disorders · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The objective of the present study is to synthesize the existing empirical literature and perform a meta-analysis of published data on the relationship between cortisol and telomere length. We systematically searched studies that examined the relationship between cortisol and telomere length in humans on electronic databases and screened reference sections of included articles. Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analysis, with effect sizes being extracted for two cortisol measures: basal cortisol levels and cortisol reactivity to acute psychological stress. Results from random effects models showed that basal cortisol levels (13 effect sizes from 12 cross-sectional studies, N = 3675 participants) were not significantly correlated with telomere length (r =-0.05, 95% CI [-0.11, 0.02]). Further, results stratified by the specimen type for cortisol measurement (i.e., saliva, urine, blood) showed that none of the three basal cortisol level measures were correlated with telomere length. However, we found a statistically significant correlation between salivary cortisol reactivity to acute psychosocial stress (6 cross-sectional studies, N = 958 participants) and telomere length (r = -0.13, 95% CI [-0.23, -0.03]). Subgroup analyses revealed that correlations between salivary cortisol reactivity and telomere length were more evident in studies conducted among children (vs. adults) and in studies that included female participants only (vs. both genders). However, the small number of available studies limits the conclusions derived from subgroup analyses, and more studies are needed before moderator effects can be properly established. Overall, findings of this study support the existence of a relationship between cortisol reactivity and telomere shortening.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.