Take a deep breath

Stress is a pivotal component of the DiSH Lab’s research (the “S” after all does stand for “stress”). Measuring physical stress, however, can be a complicated process, as the most common methods – saliva, blood, and hair – all involve biological sample collection, storage, and [oftentimes expensive] assays. Good news is that new research from Loughborough University and Imperial College London has made encouraging strides in identifying a way to measure stress through the breath. A new rapid breath test measurement was able to detect increases in two key compounds after experimental exposure to stress among 22 participants. Although this breath profiling technique is still in the early stages, it offers a really promising [and fast] alternative to current methods of stress measurement!