A recent study found that the “stress hormones” in our hair could be an indicator of a possible risk of heart attack or stroke.
According to the study, people with high levels of stress hormones such as cortisol are twice as likely to develop cardiovascular diseases such as a stroke or heart attack in their lifetime, reports Al-Rai daily.
The research team from the Netherlands investigated long-term levels of cortisol, and its inactive form cortisone, found in scalp hair.
The presence of these hormones in the hair indicates that the person has been exposed to the glucocorticoid steroid hormone in response to stress in the previous months.
The researchers analyzed cortisol and cortisone levels in more than 6,000 hair samples collected from adult men and women participating in the study.
During the study, which followed each participant for five to seven years, the scientists sought to understand the long-term relationship between cortisol and cortisone levels and cardiovascular disease.
During the study period, 133 cases of cardiovascular disease were reported, according to the “studyfinds” website, which specializes in medical news and health research.
Participants with higher cortisol and cortisone levels had twice the chances of developing cardiovascular disease during their lifetime.
This risk increased to more than three times for individuals over the age of 57.
Commenting on the study results, Elisabeth van Rossum of the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam said: “We hope that hair analysis will eventually be useful as a test that can help clinicians identify individuals who may be at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.”
“In the future, we may be able to make targeting the effects of stress hormones in the body a new therapeutic target.”