A new way to gauge cortisol levels has been tested that involves testing a sample of earwax obtained using a cotton bud with a simple brake to prevent it penetrating too far into the ear.
Although blood, urine or saliva can be tested, they only measure short-term levels of cortisol, which can be highly variable, even from the stress of the sample being taken. Earwax samples can provide estimates of stable long-term levels of cortisol.
Lead researcher Dr Andres Herane-Vives, of University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience said, “Cortisol sampling is notoriously difficult, as levels of the hormone can fluctuate, so a sample might not be an accurate reflection of a person’s chronic cortisol levels. Moreover, sampling methods themselves can induce stress and influence the results.
“But cortisol levels in earwax appear to be more stable, and with our new device, it’s easy to take a sample and get it tested quickly, cheaply and effectively.”
This new earwax cortisol test, which proved faster and yielded more cortisol than one taking samples from hair, has the potential to be very cheap and can be conducted at home. The technology could even be adapted to measure other biomarkers, and potentially test for COVID.
Source: The Guardian
