Stress-induced cortisol, mood, and fat distribution in men

Objective: A previous study in our laboratory (Moyer et al., Obes Res. 1994 ;2:255-62 found that, in response to uncontrollable laboratory stress, wome n with a high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) had higher cortisol reactivity, poor er coping skills, and lower anger responses than women with low WHR. We aim ed to compare high WHR men's stress responses to these women. Research Methods and Procedures: The current study examined cortisol reacti vity and psychological data of 27 healthy high WHR men exposed to the same laboratory challenges as the women from our previous study. Men's data are discussed in relation to that of the high and low WHR women. Results: Men responded to the stress with increases in both cortisol and bl ood pressure. In comparison with the high and low WHR women, men had signif icantly higher total cortisol on the stress day. However, when comparing a sub-sample of men and women matched in WHR's, differences in cortisol secre tion were greatly diminished and no longer significant. In addition, men ha d higher desire for control than both high and low WHR women, and lower moo d reactivity than low WHR women. Despite the lower mood reactivity of high WHR groups, the high mood reactors among the high WHR women, and to a lesse r extent, men, tended to have higher cortisol reactivity. Discussion: These results suggest that the psychological differences and gr eater exposure to cortisol observed among the high WHR men and women may ha ve played a role in contributing to their greater abdominal fat depots.