Serum cortisol and cardiometabolic parameters in young adults: does sex matter?

Objectives: Young men are at higher cardiovascular risk compared to the female counterparts. Since cortisol could have a role in the pathophysiology of cardiometabolic syndrome, it could contribute to the observed intersex risk difference. The aim of this study is to examine the association between cortisol level and the cardiometabolic parameters in healthy male and female young adults. Methods: We analysed secondary data from an observational cross-sectional study conducted in 2017-2018. A total of 240 subjects aged 18 to 45 years from Kuantan were recruited via purposive sampling based on blood pressure status. Fasting blood was collected for serum cortisol, fasting blood glucose and HbA1c quantitation. Blood pressure parameters and anthropometry were recorded. Results: There was no significant difference in proportion of MetS in males and females (p = 0.175). Males had higher systolic (p < 0.001), diastolic (p = 0.015), mean arterial pressure (p < 0.001), cortisol (p = 0.001), and HbA1c (p = 0.004) compared to female young adults. In males, cortisol was associated with elevated blood pressure (p = 0.008). There was no significant association between cortisol to central obesity, low HDL cholesterol, hypertriglyceridaemia and impaired fasting glucose in both sexes. Conclusions: In male young adults, cortisol level was associated with raised blood pressure, suggesting that cortisol was unlikely to contribute to the higher cardiometabolic risk observed in young men. Further studies are warranted to delineate the underlying pathophysiology of metabolic derangement in young adults.