Stress Can be Detected Through Breath

When stress usually people will look skinny or older than her actual age, but in certain people, stress may not be visible. To that end, a team of researchers from the UK to try to detect the stress of breathing person who (allegedly) suffering from stress.

For the team of researchers from Loughborough University and Imperial College London involved 22 young participants (10 men and 12 women) who each took part in two experimental sessions: first, participants were asked to sit as comfortable as possible and listen to music that does not cause stress; second , participants were asked to do a mental arithmetic stress that has been designed specifically to trigger stress.

Then his breath sample was observed by using a technique called gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and analyzed statistically. Each participant also underwent a breath test before and after serving each session. Heart rate and blood pressure were recorded by the investigators during the course of the two sessions.

From there, a study published in the Journal of Breath Research reveals there are six compounds contained in the breath can be an indicator of stress in a person. Two such compounds, 2-methyl pentadecane and indole increased when participants perform that can cause stress session (second session). In contrast, four other compounds shown to reduce stress, which can be caused by changes in breathing pattern.

"If we can objectively measure stress in a non-invasive like this, then this will benefit patients and people vulnerable to stress, especially long-long-term treatment but it remains difficult to find as the stress response in patients with Alzheimer's patients," said lead researcher Professor Paul Thomas.

"It's just still need further studies with more number of participants as well as a wider age range," he continued.

Nevertheless profiling breath (breath profiling) has developed into an attractive method of diagnosis for doctors, even recently some experts have also found that biomarkers associated with diseases such as tuberculosis, various types of cancer, a disease that attacks the lungs and asthma from the breath profiling.

But until now researchers still can not find the right way to manage external factors such as diet, environment and exercise habits that can affect a person's breath sample.

"There is another possibility that the existing stress markers in the breath that can hide even disrupt other key compounds that would otherwise be used to diagnose disease or condition, so profiling breath is very important to do," said Professor Thomas as reported health24, Monday ( 03.04.2013).

Initial assumption was that stress researchers will breathe faster, with heart rate and increased blood pressure that tends to change the profile of their breath. But the researchers also emphasize that this is still too early to determine the origin and role of biological compounds found this study as part of the stress sensitive response.