Reduced morning cortisol concentration in saliva was associated with obesity: Evidence from community‐dwelling adults in papua new guinea

Objectives This study investigated morning salivary cortisol concentration in relation to total body fat composition among community‐dwelling Papua New Guinean adults. Methods In addition to demographic and anthropometric measurements, saliva was collected in a single morning from 478 residents in Eastern Highlands Province and Madang Province. Results After adjusting for age, region, and occupation, the morning salivary cortisol concentration was significantly negatively correlated with body mass index among men ( B = −0.01, P < 0.05) and women ( B = −0.013, P < 0.05), and waist circumference ( B = −0.007, P < 0.05), waist‐to‐hip‐ratio ( B = −1.214, P < 0.05), and subscapular‐to‐triceps skinfold‐thickness ratio ( B = −0.045, P < 0.05) among men. Men with total or abdominal body fat mass known for elevated risk of non‐communicable diseases displayed lower cortisol compared to men without such risk. Conclusions Papua New Guinean adults with increased accumulation of body fat showed reduced cortisol concentration in morning saliva. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 28:587–590, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.