Research: Stress level can be detected from hair
0Research: Stress level can be detected from hair
A new study conducted in Mexico and Iceland found that hair can indicate stress levels. In a study conducted on approximately 1,300 people, it was stated that samples taken from the scalp showed the level of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone.
In a new study conducted in Mexico and Iceland, it was stated that hair can show the level of stress.
In the study, which examined about 1,300 women, it was emphasized that the concentration of cortisol in the hair could indicate the level of stress.
While the scientists who carried out the study said that the cortisol level is the body's main stress hormone, it was underlined that the study showed for the first time that the stress level can be learned in another way, other than blood, urine or saliva.
The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, analyzed hair samples from 881 women in Mexico and 398 women in Iceland.
While the researchers took samples from the hair follicles of the women, 3 centimeters of hair was examined in the section closest to the scalp.
24 PERCENT MORE CORTIOL DETECTED IN THE HAIR OF THE STRESSED GROUP
In the study, which stated that the hair grew 1 centimeter per month and the last trimester was examined, it was found that when women were asked questions about their lives, the cortisol levels of the women who were in the top five stress levels were 24.3 percent higher than those in the last five.
One of the study authors, Reykjavik University scientist Dr. Rebekka Lynch said measuring cortisol in hair suggests that it could hold promise in diagnosing chronic stress.
In the report of the study, “A relationship was found between perceived stress and hair cortisol concentration in a sample of women from two different geographical and cultural backgrounds. "The study supports the hypothesis that hair cortisol concentration is a valid biomarker in chronic psychological stress research."