According to a new study, cortisol levels are higher in women with anorexia and hypothalamic amenorrhea (a condition in which the brain fails to produce the hormone necessary to trigger menstruation). These increased levels of cortisol are strongly associated with depression, anxiety and bone loss.

The study, conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston, was published online on Oct. 16, 2009, in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The Harvard researchers, led by Elizabeth A. Lawson, M.D., examined whether cortisol levels could be linked to bone loss and mood disturbance in 31 amenorrheic women (women who do not have menstrual periods). Of the study participants, 18 women were amenorrheic due to being anorexic and 13 women were normal-weight with hypothalamic amenorrhea.

The research team found that both groups had lower bone mineral density than healthy women. The two groups also exhibited higher than average cortisol levels, and more incidences of depression and anxiety. In general, the anorexic women had the lowest bone density and the highest cortisol, depression and anxiety levels.

Lawson commented on the study results: "Hypercortisolemia is a potential mediator of bone loss and mood disturbance in these disorders. It is unclear whether hypercortisolemia is secondary or underlies the psychiatric pathology in these disorders."

(Source: www.modernmedicine.com)

Labels: anorexia, anxiety disorders, depression