A test that uses earwax to measure levels of the stress hormone cortisol could “transform diagnostics and care for millions of people with depression or stress-related conditions”, scientists have said. – podcast Read moreThey say the method is a cheap and effective way to measure chronic cortisol levels, when compared with other methods such as using hair samples. While blood, urine and saliva tests could be used to measure cortisol, Dr Andres Herane-Vives, of University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, said these samples could only track short-term levels rather than chronic cortisol levels. The earwax samples were found to yield more cortisol than hair samples, and the ear-swabbing technique was the fastest and potentially cheapest method. Herane-Vives and his team are also investigating whether the device could be used to measure glucose levels from earwax samples, for monitoring of diabetes, and potentially even Covid-19 antibodies.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2020 18:56 UTC