Effects of cortisol on lipolysis and regional interstitial glycerol levels in humans
Abstract
Cortisol's effects on lipid metabolism are controversial and may involve stimulation of both lipolysis and lipogenesis. This study was undertaken to define the role of physiological hypercortisolemia on systemic and regional lipolysis in humans. We investigated seven healthy young male volunteers after an overnight fast on two occasions by means of microdialysis and palmitate turnover in a placebo-controlled manner with a pancreatic pituitary clamp involving inhibition with somatostatin and substitution of growth hormone, glucagon, and insulin at basal levels. Hydrocortisone infusion increased circulating concentrations of cortisol (888 ± 12 vs. 245 ± 7 nmol/l). Interstitial glycerol concentrations rose in parallel in abdominal (327 ± 35 vs. 156 ± 30 μmol/l; P = 0.05) and femoral (178 ± 28 vs. 91 ± 22 μmol/l; P = 0.02) adipose tissue. Systemic [3 H]palmitate turnover increased (165 ± 17 vs. 92 ± 24 μmol/min; P = 0.01). Levels of insulin, glucagon, and growth hormone were comparable. In conclusion, the present study unmistakenly shows that cortisol in physiological concentrations is a potent stimulus of lipolysis and that this effect prevails equally in both femoral and abdominal adipose tissue.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Cortisol acutely increases whole body lipolysis in vivo.
“Results from in vivo studies testing the effect of glucocorticoids on lipolysis have been more consistent, particularly when levels of other counter‐regulatory hormones have been clamped by infusing somatostatin and replacing insulin, growth hormone and glucagon (the pancreatic clamp technique), showing that cortisol acutely increases whole body lipolysis.7, 8, 9”
From Acute physiological effects of glucocorticoids on fuel metabolism in humans are permissive but not direct (2017) · cites this paper as [8]
In vivo studies using the pancreatic clamp achieved cortisol concentrations between 850 and 1500 nM, which are not reflective of physiological concentrations in the absence of acute stress.
“However, these studies achieved cortisol concentrations between 850 and 1500 nM which are not reflective of those observed physiologically in the absence of acute stress.”
From Acute physiological effects of glucocorticoids on fuel metabolism in humans are permissive but not direct (2017) · cites this paper as [8]
In acute studies, cortisol infusion was shown to increase lipolysis in the fasted state.
“In acute studies, cortisol infusion was shown to increase lipolysis in the fasted state.”
From Low-dose glucocorticoid treatment affects multiple aspects of intermediary metabolism in healthy humans: a randomised controlled trial (2011) · cites this paper as [30]
In these acute studies, hyperinsulinaemia was prevented by performing a pancreatic clamp with insulin infusion at basal levels.
“In these studies, hyperinsulinaemia was prevented by performing a pancreatic clamp with insulin infusion at basal levels [30, 31].”
From Low-dose glucocorticoid treatment affects multiple aspects of intermediary metabolism in healthy humans: a randomised controlled trial (2011) · cites this paper as [30]
Cortisol via many independent pathways belongs to the network of energy-expenditure hormones, an increase of which leads to rapid allocation of energy-rich fuels to the immune system.
“In conclusion, cortisol via many independent pathways belongs to the network of energy-expenditure hormones, an increase of which leads to rapid allocation of energy-rich fuels to the immune system.”
From Interaction of the endocrine system with inflammation: a function of energy and volume regulation (2014) · cites this paper as [44]
The citation lists haven’t been fetched yet
References 35 · Cited by 219
- Authors
- Djurhuus, C. B., Gravholt, C. H., Nielsen, S., Mengel, A., Christiansen, J. S., Schmitz, O. E., & Møller, N.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University Hospital (DK)
- Experimental Clinical Research and
- Aarhus University (DK)
- Venue
- American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Published
- 2002-07-01
- Volume
- 283
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- E172-E177
- ISSN
- 0193-1849 (ISSN-L)
- 1522-1555
- OpenAlex
- W2158273437
- Cited by
- 219
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 13 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 1.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Lipid metabolism and biosynthesis
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Keywords
- cortisol, lipolysis, lipogenesis, hypercortisolism, adipose tissue, abdominal fat, lipid metabolism, microdialysis, growth hormone, glucagon, insulin
- MeSH terms
- Abdomen, Adipose Tissue, Adult, Blood Glucose, Calorimetry, Indirect, Extracellular Space, Fasting, Fatty Acids, Nonesterified, Glucagon, Glycerol, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Infusions, Intravenous, Insulin, Lipolysis, Male, Palmitates, Somatostatin, Growth Hormone, Thigh, Microdialysis
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
