Researchers develop dental floss that can gauge stress

Engineers in the US have developed a simple device using specially designed dental floss that can easily and accurately measure cortisol, a stress hormone, in real time.

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Chronic stress can lead to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, decreased immune function, depression, and anxiety.

"It started in a collaboration with several departments across Tufts University, examining how stress and other cognitive states affect problem solving and learning," said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the study published in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces journal.