Is there a relationship of cortisol and sex steroid hormones with mental health in middle-aged adults? the FIT-AGEING study.

PURPOSE: Mental health has emerged as a worldwide concern given the rising incidence of anxiety and depression disorders in the last years. Cortisol and sex steroid hormones have been demonstrated to be important regulators of mental health processes in older adults. However, the evidence considering these integrated variables in apparently healthy middle-aged individuals has not been thoroughly addressed. The present study was aimed at investigating the association of plasma cortisol, testosterone, free testosterone, Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) levels with mental health in middle-aged adults.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study included a cohort of 73 middle-aged adults with 45-65 years of age (53% women). Plasma cortisol, testosterone, SHBG, and DHEAS were assessed using a competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay. Free testosterone was calculated from the total testosterone and SHBG. Self-reported depression severity, generic health-related quality of life, hope, satisfaction with life, and optimism-pessimism were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey, the Adult Hope Scale (AHS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and the Life Orientation Test Revised, respectively - higher total scores of these scales indicating greater levels of these variables -.

RESULTS: Testosterone and free testosterone levels were inversely associated with BDI-II values in men (all P≤0.042). Cortisol levels were positively related with SWLS scores, whereas testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, and DHEAS levels were negatively correlated with BDI-II values in women (all P≤0.045).

CONCLUSION: In summary, these results suggest that increased levels of steroid hormones - within the normal values - may be associated with better mental health in middle-aged adults.