PhD defence M. (Mesut) Savaş

Stress hormones, especially the main hormone cortisol, are extremely important in regulating many physical and mental functions. However, too much cortisol can adversely affect almost every aspect of our body. The metabolic effects, including the development of obesity and increased waist circumference, are of particular importance as they are often seen with increased exposure to stress hormones. In our studies we have shown that use of locally applied drugs containing a synthetic variant of cortisol, the so-called corticosteroids, as with the inhalation puffers, are associated with higher body weight, greater abdominal circumference, risk factors for developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as mood and anxiety disorders. Interestingly, our patients with obesity were found to use these drugs almost twice as often as compared to others without obesity. We have also found that individuals with obesity are also often burdened with a range of other (hidden) fatteners other than an unhealthy lifestyle. Finally, we further developed our innovative way of measuring stress hormones in scalp hair and demonstrated interesting new relationships with various stress-related disorders.

Due to corona, the PhD defences do not take place publicly in the usual way in the Senate Hall or in the Professor Andries Querido Room. The candidates will defend their dissertation either in a small group or online.