# Testing cortisol dysregulation as a mediator between early stress and adolescent cardiovascular health

> **NIH NIH K01** · UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY) · 2020 · $143,284

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Psychosocial stress in early
childhood has been linked to poorer cardiovascular health, with behavioral and biological alterations as
potential mechanisms. One proposed mechanism between early stress and poorer cardiovascular health later
in life is dysregulation in cortisol, a hormone that mediates stress responses and regulates metabolism.
Cortisol dysregulation can include heightened or blunted cortisol levels, as both have been associated with
chronic stress and poor health. A second proposed mechanism is alterations in diet and eating behaviors
following early psychosocial stress as acute and chronic stress have been associated with obesogenic diet and
eating behaviors. It is currently unknown whether cortisol dysregulation and altered diet and eating behaviors
mediate the association between early psychosocial stress and poorer cardiovascular health in adolescence.
The goal of this project is to understand whether cortisol dysregulation and altered diet and eating behaviors
are pathways between early childhood stress and poorer cardiovascular health in adolescence. This work will
identify targets for interventions to promote ideal cardiovascular health in populations who have experienced
early stress. This goal will be accomplished using two complementary cohorts: new data collected on 100
diverse adolescents oversampled for high psychosocial risk and existing data from the Avon Longitudinal
Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; N=9,600). These cohorts will be used to address two aims. Aim 1:
To test the hypothesis that cortisol dysregulation mediates the association between psychosocial stress in
early childhood and 1a) adolescent obesity, blood pressure, and serum markers of inflammation and poor
cardiovascular health, and 1b) adolescent obesogenic dietary patterns and eating behaviors. Aim 2: To test
the hypothesis that childhood obesogenic dietary patterns and eating behaviors mediates the association
between psychosocial stress in early childhood and 2a) adolescent obesity, blood pressure, and serum
markers of inflammation and poor cardiovascular health, and 2b) adolescent obesogenic dietary patterns and
eating behaviors. I am a developmental psychologist with expertise in childhood psychosocial stress and
cortisol regulation. This award will enable me to extend my expertise to assessing and improving
cardiovascular health in adolescents. To conduct this research, I will complete a training plan based at the
University of Denver under the primary mentorship of Dr. Elysia Davis. I will obtain training and content
knowledge in the following areas: 1) cardiovascular health and gold-standard approaches for measurement of
obesity, blood pressure, and serum markers of cardiovascular health; 2) diet and eating behavior assessment;
3) advanced statistics; and 4) conducting interventions. The research and training in this proposal will help me
l...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956718
- **Project number:** 5K01HL143159-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)
- **Principal Investigator:** Jenalee Rae Doom
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $143,284
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956718

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956718, Testing cortisol dysregulation as a mediator between early stress and adolescent cardiovascular health (5K01HL143159-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956718. Licensed CC0.

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