The work was led by Dr Molly Ingersoll (Institut Pasteur and Institut Cochin and Dr Darragh Duffy (Institut Pasteur) and conducted by members of the Milieu Interieur consortium.  The team involved in the current study measured the levels of 17 steroid hormons by targeted mass spectrometry in a large sex-balanced cohort. They found that hormone levels vary according to an individual’s age and sex, but that they are also associated with many other factors, such as genetics and common behaviours.

Two findings are particularly notable: 1) many steroid hormone levels, beyond sex hormones, are influenced by oral contraceptive use in women ; 2) In men particularly, smoking was associated with altered levels of nearly every steroid hormone measured.

Additionally, measurement of hormones in the same donors 10 years after the original visit showed that decreases in specific androgens were associated with diverse diseases in aging men, suggesting that these hormones – which are associated with physical characteristics, and supporting strong bones and red blood cell production – might play a role in disease development. This finding – among others – gives the team numerous avenues to pursue in future research.

Co-first author, Dr Léa G Deltourbe, Institut Cochin & Institut Pasteur, added: “This study brings much needed data to a subject that is receiving a lot of interest in the mainstream news and on social media platforms, providing a strong basis for investigating the role of steroid hormones in health and disease, including the impact of endocrine disruptors, the link between stress and cortisol, and the role of sex hormones on our well-being.”
As one example, understanding the potential effects of the contraceptive pill on physical and mental health should lead to a better quality of life for women choosing to use this form of contraception.