The Bond Girls

Much more than just an accessory, a person's hair expresses personality and fashion choices, dictates his or her mood, and can even reveal important health issues.

You can tell a lot about a person by checking out their hair. And now, doctors can too.

A recent study published in the journal "Stress" shows that high levels of cortisol in the hair shaft may raise the risk of heart attack. Men and women who suffered from heart attacks had higher levels of cortisol in their hair shafts, the report shows. Until now, there was no direct evidence supporting the connection between stress and heart disease.

Cortisol—a stress hormone—can be measured in blood, urine, and saliva but is most accurately measured in hair. Stan VanUum, MD, PhD, an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario said the study proved that hair cortisol levels were a better indicator of heart disease than high blood pressure, smoking, and high cholesterol. Over time, cortisol can cause "increases in blood pressure, blood sugar, body fat, and blood clotting- all of which are known risk factors for heart attack," VanUum said on WebMD.com.

This discovery is a breakthrough in the medical diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

In an article featured on WebMD.com, Redford Williams, MD (director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Duke University) said more research is needed before cortisol is routinely measured using strands of hair. Williams emphasizes the importance of properly managing stress to reduce cortisol levels.

Who knew hair could be so revealing? Long story short: don't stress! Easier said than done…we know.

Information courtesy of WebMD.com
Photo courtesy of sustainablesushi.net