The association between morning cortisol and adiposity in children varies by weight status

Objective: To examine the associations between morning cortisol and adiposity in children at baseline and 9-month follow-up. Methods: Participants included 649 (301 males, 348 females) children (9.6±0.9 years) for the cross-sectional analysis and 316 (153 males, 163 females) for the longitudinal analysis. Body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated from measured height and weight and waist circumference (WC, cm) was measured at the superior border of the iliac crest. Cortisol was assessed via saliva samples collected on a single morning. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between cortisol and adiposity. Results: Approximately 31% were overweight (17.7%) or obese (12.8%). The mean cortisol level was 9.36±5.64 nmol/L (0.34±0.20 μg/dL). At baseline, no significant correlations were found between cortisol and BMI or WC (r