Spit here to chill out

Tokyo - A Japanese firm has created a handheld gadget to check stress levels by analyzing saliva, allowing people on the edge to check their frayed nerves as frequently as they want.

The "Cocoro (Heart) Meter" has a chip which a person moistens with saliva and sticks into the machine to discover his or her stress in one minute.

The gadget measures the level of amylase, an enzyme that increases when people are under mental or physical stress.

Those wanting to check their stress usually give blood, a procedure that can be stressful in itself, said an official of Cocoro Meter's maker Nipro, a major manufacturer of disposable medical equipment based in Osaka.

But weighing just 190 grams (6.7 ounces), the Cocoro Meter can be carried around and taken to the office or resort bar.

A model who tried the device in front of a photographer registered 20 on the amylase scale, at the top end of stress levels. An executive who did likewise registered a nerve-wracking 80.

The gadget was launched last month with the company aiming to sell 1,000 a month. It costs 19,800 yen (164 dollars), with a package of 20 chips costing another 3,600 yen. -- Agence France Presse

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