Chronic stress
Chronic stress has become epidemic in our society where faster is better and we attempt to pack more obligations into our ever-expanding schedules.
Among its havoc, one meta-analysis involving 300 studies found chronic stress could damage your immunity. If that wasn’t enough, stress also makes you fat and contributes to diabesity. A study in the journal Appetite found stressed-out women had significantly higher waist circumference compared to non-stressed women.
Experts have long known a relationship exists between stress, blood sugar and belly fat. In the face of chronic stress, insulin increases. This drives the relentless metabolic dysfunction that leads to weight gain, insulin resistance and ultimately diabetes.
When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that flood your system, raising your heart rate, increasing your blood pressure, making your blood more likely to clot, damaging your brain’s memory center, increasing belly fat storage and generally wreaking havoc on your body.
Learn how to actively relax. To engage the powerful forces of the mind on the body, you must do something—you can’t just sit there watching television.
Try breathing exercises, go for a walk in nature, or learn something new.
Sometimes supplementation may be necessary to help lower stress levels. Here are some supplements that can help lower anxiety or depression symptoms:
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This nutrient is like a brake for overstimulation in the brain. When you have low levels of GABA, it is harder for you to relax after your body has released excitatory neurotransmitters like epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Other supplements include vitamin B-complex, L-theanine (an amino acid in green tea that promotes relaxation and calmness), 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP (a serotonin precursor), inositol (which helps balance neurotransmitters), and herbs like rhodiola rosea and ashwagandha.
As with any supplement it’s best to speak to your doctor before taking anything new.
Per Mark Hyman, MD
