A team of researchers at the University of Birmingham, University of Bristol, and University of Bergen have designed a new wearable device that could enable a wearer to track levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, over a sustained period of time. The new device is described in a recent article published in Science Translational Medicine.
The stress hormone, cortisol, plays a number of important functions in the body, particularly when it comes to survival. Increased levels of cortisol can increase blood sugar levels, increase how much sugar the brain uses, and even deactivate non-essential functions in the proverbial “fight or flight” situation, where our body is responding to a perceived crisis.
However, various health and lifestyle factors can change our levels of cortisol in the body. When hormones like cortisol work in an almost rhythmic way, disturbances to these rhythms, and subsequent cortisol level changes, problems can occur. These include conditions like heart disease and even depression. A key part of the problem, however, is that researchers have never fully understood the rhythms that drive these types of hormones. A typical hormone test designed to test for cortisol levels is designed to take a measurement at a single point in time and is unable to capture broader patterns of cortisol production and levels in the body. While it is possible to capture multiple measurements over time, this can be a time-consuming process.
The new wearable device, called U-RHYTHM, is worn on the wrist and captures a measurement of cortisol levels every 20 minutes, but doesn’t not require a user actively draw blood. The device can also be worn during a variety of activities, including physical activity and sleeping. As a result, researchers are able to capture regular measurements over a period of up to 72 hours, which enables a robust image of cortisol rhythms.
In the study, researchers collected a cortisol hormone “profile” of 214 participants who wore U-RHYTHM. Using this information, researchers developed “dynamic markers,” or signs, of healthy cortisol activity. In other words, researchers are able to create a generic profile of what cortisol levels look like in a healthy individual, allowing researchers to detect and analyze changes or differences in others.
Sources: Science Daily; Science Translational Medicine
