A research in Canada has stated in the journal Stress that high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, that is present in hair, could efficiently help at predicting whether a person is going to suffer heart attack, and that too, months in advance.

Problems relating to job, relationship, finances are related to the elevated risk of suffering from heart attack or other heart-related troubles.

But now, researchers have been able to find that hair could help at predicting heart attack risk months in advance.

Study authors Stan Van Uum and Gideon Koren of the University of Western Ontario said that usually cortisol is measured via urine, saliva or serum.

All these measure the levels of cortisol in the concluding hours or days, and so they do not mirror the stress response that accumulates in the body over the number of years.

On a standard basis, hair grows one centimeter every month and after a six centimeter long hair is examined. It is probable to determine the level of stress that has pent up over the number of years.

The study made conclusions after taking into consideration risk factors like diabetes, smoking, hypertension, etc, which hair cortisol content strongly predicted.

Patients who run a high risk of suffering from heart attack in the nearest future will have extremely elevated levels of cortisol in their hair.