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Cortisol ManagementEvidence & Dosage

HPA axis, stress curve, adaptogens, and a healthy daily rhythm.

Studies last updated

Evidence at a glance

Total studies
1,000
With abstract
50
Meta / Systematic / RCT
80
Highly cited
50
Publication years
1991–2026

Cortisol Management in the context of Hormones

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Top studies on Cortisol Management

Ranked by influential-citation count and publication year.

  1. Comorbidities in mild autonomous cortisol secretion and the effect of treatment: systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Eur J Endocrinol2023n=17Meta-Analysis130 influential citations

    Objective To assess (1) comorbidities associated with and (2) treatment strategies for patients with adrenal incidentalomas and mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS; > 1.8 µg/dL (>50 nmol/L) cortisol level cut-off following the 1 mg…

    Finding: Patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion had a higher prevalence of diabetes than patients with non-functioning incidentalomas.

  2. Effectiveness of stress management interventions to change cortisol levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Psychoneuroendocrinology2024n=350meta121 influential citations

    Stress has a damaging impact on our mental and physical health, and as a result, there is an on-going demand for effective stress management interventions. However, there are no reviews or meta-analyses synthesising the evidence base of…

    Finding: Stress management interventions outperformed pooled control conditions on cortisol with a medium positive effect size.

  3. Effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults: a quantitative systematic review.

    JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep2019systematic88 influential citations

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for reducing physiological and psychological stress in adults 18 years and over. INTRODUCTION: Stress has reached epidemic proportions…

  4. Effect of Stress on Each of the Stages of the IVF Procedure: A Systematic Review.

    Int J Mol Sci2024n=36Systematic Review87 influential citations

    The aim of this systematic review was to examine if chronic or acute stress, measured by questionnaires or physiological biomarkers, has a separate impact on each different stage in the IVF process. A systematic search of peer-reviewed…

  5. Long-Term Consequences of Cushing Syndrome: A Systematic Literature Review.

    J Clin Endocrinol Metab2024n=79Systematic Review74 influential citations

    It is held that the condition of endogenous chronic hypersecretion of cortisol (Cushing syndrome, CS), causes several comorbidities, including cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal alterations, as well as cognitive and…

  6. Opioids and Their Endocrine Effects: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

    J Clin Endocrinol Metab2020n=52Meta-Analysis70 influential citations

    Context The increased use of opioids has resulted in an unprecedented opioid epidemic. Chronic opioid use causes hypogonadism, but its frequency, as well as the effects of opioids on other hypothalamo–pituitary–end organ hormone axes,…

    Finding: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, chronic opioid use was associated with hypogonadism in 63% of patients.

  7. Hair Cortisol Research in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder - 10 Years of Insights and Open Questions. A Systematic Review.

    Curr Neuropharmacol2024n=3,576Systematic Review65 influential citations

    <h4>Background</h4>Cortisol is one of the most extensively studied biomarkers in the context of trauma/posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For more than a decade, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) have been measured in this context,…

  8. Outcomes of pituitary surgery for Cushing's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Pituitary2020n=566Meta-Analysis62 influential citations

    <h4>Purpose</h4>Transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is the first-line treatment for Cushing's disease (CD). This review aimed to synthesize the remission and recurrence rates following TSS for CD and identify predictors of these…

  9. Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels.

    PLoS One2023n=315Meta-Analysis55 influential citations

    Objectives Laughter as an expression of humor has been recognized as good medicine for centuries. The health benefits of humor-induced well-being remain unclear and thus we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional…

    Finding: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, laughter intervention reduced cortisol levels by 31.9% compared with the control group.

  10. Meditation interventions efficiently reduce cortisol levels of at-risk samples: a meta-analysis.

    Health Psychol Rev2021n=31Meta-Analysis54 influential citations

    Previous meta-analytic results showed beneficial effects of meditation interventions for cortisol levels. In the present meta-analysis we tested whether effects are larger for those who might be in need of such stress reduction programs…

    Finding: In blood-sample studies, meditation interventions had a significant, medium effect on cortisol levels from pre-test to post-test compared with the control group.

Frequently asked

What does the evidence say about Cortisol Management?
Patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion had a higher prevalence of diabetes than patients with non-functioning incidentalomas.
What dosage was studied?
• Adrenalectomy (surgical management) (Not reported) • Stress management interventions (mind body therapies, mindfulness/meditation, relaxation, talking therapies) (Varied by intervention; not reported as a single dose) • Diaphragmatic breathing as an isolated intervention
Are there safety considerations for Cortisol Management?
• Not reported • Not reported. • No adverse events were reported; the review focused on stress measures and IVF outcomes. • Not reported in the abstract

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