Androstadienone: A Concern for MP Bernadette Jordan

On the advise of my partner, I decided to email the following concerns regarding androstadienone to the Member of Parliament, Bernadette Jordan who represents my riding:

Dear Ms. Jordan,  

Alarming statistics concerning Androstadienone, an endogenous steroid added to various products such as cologne, body wash, hair gel, is known to increase cortisol levels in women and gay/bisexual men via the olfactory system (sense of smell).  Fact: high cortisol levels are known to be dangerous to the health.  Ads targeting men have led to the belief that the product would make them more sexually appealing to women and/or gay men. Recent studies however show that it doesn’t increase sexual attractiveness, however it does affect the “mood” of heterosexual women and gay/bisexual men, making them more ... congenial/malleable. See Links:

1. UC Berkeley News re: https://www.berkeley.edu/…/…/releases/2007/02/06_sweat.shtml 
2. The Journal of Neuro Science re: http://www.jneurosci.org/content/27/6/1261.long
3. Wikipedia re: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisol#Factors_increasing_cortisol_levels
4. Harding Medical Institute re: http://hardingmedicalinstitute.com/cortisol-for-women
5. Psychology Today re: (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201301/cortisol-why-the-stress-hormone-is-public-enemy-no-1)
6. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) re:Sexual orientation and diurnal cortisol patterns in a cohort of U.S. young adults :https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4880491/

The following information was gathered from a study found in the NCBI article (#6 link above) :

The study included 1670 young adults ages 18–32 years (69% female, 31% male)  a prospective cohort of U.S. youth. Participants provided five saliva samples over one day to estimate diurnal cortisol patterns. Sexual orientation groups identified as: 130 bisexual, gay, or lesbian; 427 heterosexual or completely heterosexual with same-sex partners (hereafter referred to as “mostly heterosexual”); 1113 completely heterosexual and had no same-sex partners. 

Despite consistent evidence indicating that, compared to heterosexuals, sexual minorities experience elevated exposure to multiple forms of stressors and adversity across the life course, producers of the study did not find differences in diurnal cortisol rhythms by sexual orientation, and suggested one possible explanation: that sexual minority participants in the study exhibited physiologic resilience.  The suggestion can be countered in light of the fact that the group tested are US persons aged  18-32, most of whom are unmarried (see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_age_at_first_marriage where the 2015 stats indicate average US males marrying for the first at age 29.2 and women at 27.1), and so it’s common sense that most participants in the study are seeking a mate and so more apt to be interested in products that make claims of boosting sexual attraction -- such as products containing androstadienone.  This being the case, consider the impact on the largest group affected by cortisol increases as a result of products containing Androstadienone: women (heterosexual and mostly heterosexual).
The NCBI article at section 3.2 entitled “Diurnal cortisol by sexual orientation”,  reveals the information in two charts that led to the producers suggestion of "physiologic resilience among lesbians/gay men".  The graphs begin by showing the first hour after wakening (with each groups cortisol levels at 15) followed by a larger spike in cortisol levels for three groups: completely heterosexual female, mostly heterosexual female and  Gay/bisexual male ... as opposed to the smaller spike for the other three groups: heterosexual male, mostly heterosexual male and Lesbian/bisexual.  In the next 5 hours after wakening the charts show cortisol levels reducing in all groups until near identical and continue to reduce to a level of 3 at the end of the 15 hour study.  The reduction could be the result of the wearing off of products containing androstadienone.  And now consider the following:  assuming that most of the test subjects wake up at around 6am (to get ready for work/class, and so apply the various products containing androstadienone that result in the spike found in cortisol levels in the groups).  The end of the 15 hours study duration brings us to around 9 pm, leaving us to question why/how cortisol levels rose from level 3 to 15 in the first place?!  And so leading to presumptions, like : the use of  products containing androstadienone before sleeping with partner/date ..., which stands to reason if the user buys into ads that  promise to make  them more attractive sexually  ... or even if they’re up to date on current/conflicting evidence on the products affecting “mood”—and so resulting in a more congenial/malleable response to sexual advances.  Even though this may not prove to be the case, there is enough incriminating evidence—facts such as androstadienone affecting “mood” (reminiscent of “Stepford Wives”) that warrant our government to remove these products from Canadian markets as well as to initiate further and more in-depth studies. 

Regards,
May Ocean

Here  are the charts as per the above re: 1– National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) re:Sexual orientation and diurnal cortisol patterns in a cohort of U.S. young adults :https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4880491/: