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Patterns of Cortisol and Adrenaline Variation in Australian Aboriginal Communities of the Kimberley Region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

Lincoln H. Schmitt ,
G. Ainsworth Harrison ,
Randolph M. Spargo ,
Tessa Pollard  and
Giles Ungpakorn
Lincoln H. Schmitt
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands
G. Ainsworth Harrison
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Anthropology, University of Oxford
Randolph M. Spargo
Affiliation:
Health Department of Western Australia, Derby, Australia
Tessa Pollard
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Anthropology, University of Oxford
Giles Ungpakorn
Affiliation:
Institute of Biological Anthropology, University of Oxford
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Summary

Urinary cortisol and adrenaline excretion rates were measured in three Australian Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley region in the north-west of the country. The three communities, Derby, Kalumburu and Kupungarri, differ in size and remoteness and some lifestyle parameters. Cortisol excretion rate is associated with age and urine flow rate, but there is no association with smoking or the consumption of alcohol. All three communities show very high cortisol excretion rates compared to a sample of UK (Oxford) residents and there are also differences between the three communities. Adrenaline excretion rate also shows associations with age and urine flow rate, but not with smoking. Aboriginal people in the Kimberley region excrete adrenaline at a slightly higher rate than that found in Oxford, which itself is high by world standards. There are no marked differences between communities in their adrenaline excretion rates. Alcohol drinkers in Derby, where alcohol is freely available, have higher adrenaline output than non-drinkers.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 27 , Issue 1 , January 1995 , pp. 107 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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