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Toenails Can Indicate Cardio Risk Among Women |
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An interesting finding has came out of a recent study that suggests that the physicians can easily get an indication about the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, in a woman by assessing the nicotine content in her toenail clippings. The researchers of the study have stated that they have conducted their study on a group of women and found that the nicotine content in toenail clippings can really help in calculating the risk.
With a view to become more sanguine about the fact, the American researchers have conducted the recent study where they analyzed the toenails of more than 62,500 women. They found that the women having heart disease had double the level of nicotine in comparison to those, not having the cardiovascular diseases. The researchers said that their finding is likely to bring out more accurate results than simply asking a person about their smoking history and it is also supporting the well-established fact that the smokers have a higher risk of heart disease, than the others. The researchers also said that though a number of tests are available for testing the presence of nicotine in the body, like testing the amount of nicotine breakdown products in saliva or urine, they could only reflect the recent exposure to cigarette smoke.
Dr Wael Al-Delaimy led the recent study from the University of California, San Diego. While commenting on their study, he said that as the toenails grow slowly at a rate of around 1cm a year, they are possible to offer a longer-term estimate of a person`s total exposure to tobacco smoke, be it active or passive. He said, "The use of toenail nicotine is a novel way to objectively measure exposure to tobacco smoke and could become a useful test to identify high-risk individuals in the future". He informed that they found a number of 900 women among the study participants to have heart disease, during the study and the women in the top fifth for toenail nicotine content were thinner, less active, heavier drinkers, than the others. The researchers also found those women to be more likely to have high blood pressure or diabetes, as well as a family history of heart attack, in comparison to those with less nicotine in their toenails. A cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Ms. Ellen Mason added, "Men and women who smoke are around twice as likely to suffer a heart attack in their life time as those who don`t, and quitting smoking is one of the most effective ways to reduce this risk".
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| Toenails Can Indicate Cardio Risk Among Women |
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