(16-09-10) Scientists measure stress levels in hair!

Researchers at The University of Western Ontario have provided the first
direct evidence using a biological marker, to show chronic stress plays an
important role in heart attacks.

Stressors such as job, marital and financial problems have been linked to the
increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease including heart attack.
But there hasn?t been a biological marker to measure chronic stress. Drs.
Gideon Koren and Stan Van Uum developed a method to measure cortisol levels in
hair providing an accurate assessment of stress levels in the months prior to
an acute event such as a heart attack.

The research is published on-line in the journal Stress.

Cortisol is considered to be a stress hormone. Its secretion is increased
during times of stress. Traditionally it?s been measured in serum, urine and
saliva, but that only shows stress at the time of measurement, not over longer
periods of time. Cortisol is also captured in the hair shaft.

?Intuitively we know stress is not good for you, but it?s not easy to
measure,? explains Dr. Koren, who holds the Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology
at Western?s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. ?We know that on average,
hair grows one centimeter (cm) a month, and so if we take a hair sample six cm
long, we can determine stress levels for six months by measuring the cortisol
level in the hair.?

In the study, hair samples three cm long were collected from 56 male adults
who were admitted to the Meir Medical Centre in Kfar-Saba, Israel suffering
heart attacks. A control group, made up of 56 male patients who were
hospitalized for reasons other than a heart attack, was also asked for hair
samples. Higher hair cortisol levels corresponding to the previous three months
were found in the heart attack patients compared to the control group.

The prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, smoking and family history of
coronary artery disease did not differ significantly between the two groups,
although the heart attack group had more cholesterol problems. After accounting
for the known risk factors, hair cortisol content emerged as the strongest
predictor of heart attack.

?Stress is a serious part of modern life affecting many areas of health and
life,? says Dr. Koren. ?This study has implications for research and for
practice, as stress can be managed with lifestyle changes and psychotherapy.?

The study was supported by Physician Services Inc. and the Canadian Institutes
of Health Research

Dr. Jonny Comments:

In my book, ?The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer?, I identified four
processes that age us, wearing our bodies down and contributing to every known
degenerative disease. I call these the ?Four Horsemen of Aging?, and one of
them is stress.

We can?t eliminate stress from our lives, nor would we want to. Some stress is
actually good for us, helping us to adapt and strengthening our immune system.
(This kind of stress is called ?eustress? to distinguish it from the kind we
don?t want ? ?distress?.) But there?s a lot we can do to moderate our levels of
the kind of stress that kills us.

The most effective stress reducer in the world is meditation. Even deep
breathing ? a few minutes a day ? will help.

And while supplements won?t take the place of a lifestyle that includes
provisions for ?de-stressing? (from a hot bath to a walk in the park), there
are many superbly designed stress formulas that can help us stay calm, relieve
anxiety, and moderate stress levels.

Cortisol Manager is a wonderful blend of calming herbs like ashwaganda, plus
the amino acid L-theanine. Zen also mixes GABA with L-theanine, Stress X
combines theanine with GABA, inositol, passionflower and hops, Stress Arrest
mixes GABA with vitamin B6, Holy Basil is one of the oldest and most reliable
stress reducers and a staple of Ayruvedic medicine, End Fatigue Adrenal Stress-
End was formulated by the great Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, Brain Calm was formulated
by the well-known brain researcher and anti-aging physician Eric Braverman,
MD, and Catecholacalm is Designs for Health?s premiere stress management
formula which combines calming herbs like ashwaganda, valerian, lemon balm and
passionflower together with L-theanine. Emotional Wellness is a great formula
that combines the relaxing neurotransmitter GABA with the calming amino acid L-
theanine, plus the herbs passionflower and rhodiola.

You can check out the full line of stress formulas we endorse here. You can?t
go wrong with any of them.

Source:Science Daily

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