3.2. Perceived Stress and Awakening Cortisol
Perceived stress reduced significantly in both groups during the intervention period of 12 weeks with no significant difference between the groups (Stress was also evaluated by measuring the cortisol awakening response. The salivary cortisol levels were measured four times during one hour after the subjects woke up, at baseline, and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of intervention. The area under the curve (AUC) was determined together with the maximum level (Cmax) for each time point. Both groups displayed significantly lower AUC and Cmax over the intervention period, with the largest reduction observed at week 12 for the LPHEAL9 group and at week 8 for the placebo group with no significant differences between the groups (