ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2020
Longitudinal Change in Cortisol Levels Across the Adult Life Span.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Trial
- Anxiety and Depression Traits Are Moderated by a Sex-Dependent Genetic Interaction Between 5-HTTLPR and BDNF.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Measuring cortisol in Cushing syndrome: diagnosis, monitoring, and cortisol circadian rhythm improvement.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2026Review
- 'Glucocorticoids, Cushing's syndrome and cellular senescence: a mechanistic link to metabolic ageing'.Endocrine connections · 2026Review
- Sex and adrenal hormone alteration in Ecuadorian adolescents with home and school proximity to floriculture crop area.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2026Article
- Cortisol Stability at 16 and 30 Years in Urine Specimens Stored at -20°C.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Adrenarche as a regulator of sensitivity to early adversity.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2026Review
- Evaluation of the salivary biomarker cortisol in patients with temporomandibular disorders.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2026Observational
- Endocrine regulation of uromodulin in aging.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- Sleep in neurodegenerative diseases: A focus on melatonin, melanin-concentrating hormone and orexin.Journal of neuroendocrinology · 2025Review
- Association of Eating Window With Mortality Among US Adults: Insights From a Nationally Representative Study.Aging cell · 2025Article
- Changes in hair cortisol during retirement transition: the Finnish retirement and aging study.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Association between childhood maltreatment, stressful life events and hair cortisol concentration in late midlife: A prospective investigation.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Review
- Adrenal cortex senescence: an ageing-related pathology?Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2025Review
- Binge alcohol and the neuroendocrinology of the aging female.Frontiers in neuroendocrinology · 2025Review
- Urinary Estradiol in Captive Bonobos: Variation With Reproductive State and Sexual Swelling.American journal of primatology · 2025Article
- Elevated serum cortisol associated with early-detected increase of brain amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease imaging biomarkers among menopausal women: The Framingham Heart Study.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Cortisol and 10-Year Cognitive Decline in Older People From the General Population.European journal of neurology · 2025Article
- Pharmacology of Aging:Aging biology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundCortisol is a key stress hormone implicated in the pathogenesis of many age-related diseases. Longitudinal information on cortisol exposure has been restricted to animal models and a small number of human studies. The purpose of the present study was to quantify longitudinal change in cortisol across the adult life span.
methodsWe conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 24-hour urinary free cortisol excretion from ages 20 to 90 years and older. Participants were 1,814 men and women from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging who provided a total of 5,527 urine specimens for analysis. The average duration of longitudinal follow-up was 6.6 years. The primary outcome measure was 24-hour urinary free cortisol to creatinine ratio (UFC/Cr) as determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.
resultsUFC/Cr follows a U-shaped pattern across the life span with decreases in UFC/Cr in the 20s and 30s, relative stability in the 40s and 50s, and increases thereafter. This pattern of change was robust with respect to adjustment for several potential confounding factors.
conclusionsAge-related changes in cortisol exposure raise important questions about the potential protective or exacerbating role of cortisol exposure in predicting medical, physiological, and behavioral outcomes.
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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.