CORTISOL, THE STRESS HORMONE, AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
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Stress has long been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Cortisol is a hormone, known marker (indicator) of stress.
Measure cortisol present in the hair provides, according to some scholars, a way to know in more detail the effects. Dr. Laura Manenschijn, MD, Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, and colleagues studied some patients with cortisol levels found in the scalp, to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism."Because the scalp can acquire information about how cortisol levels have changed over time, hair analysis provides us with a better tool to assess this risk," said Dr. Manenschijn in an interview.
We examined 283 patients of mean age 75 years, selected from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA). For each patient were collected hair samples-about 150 filaments each - and analyzed the first 3 cm of hair closest to the scalp to assess the 'exposure to cortisol in the last 3 months.
In general, hair cortisol levels were significantly lower in women than in men (21 pg / mg versus 26.3 pg / mg, P <0.001).
Dr. Manenschijn and colleagues found that people with higher levels of cortisol had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Not only that, these patients also had an increased risk of coronary heart disease and peripheral arterial disease. Patients with elevated levels of cortisol have also had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers concluded that elevated levels of cortisol in the long term represent an important indicator of cardiovascular risk, and can be used as an indicator, an indicator, to start prevention strategies.Source: Worldhealth
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