Eat Right to Fight Stress

Changing the way we eat may help us be better equipped to deal with the long-term effects of stress according to Nutritionist Carolyn Berdanier at the University of Georgia.

Professor Berdania recommends minor increases in our intake of fat and protein could help regulate the body's reaction to stress.

According to Berdanier, there are two levels to our body's fight against stress. In the short term, hormones and chemicals such as adrenalin are released as part of the "fight-or-flight" mechanism. In the longer term, the body reacts to stress as it would do to an injury and tries to repair itself.

Additional fat stores are created to provide extra energy and muscle tissue is broken down to provide amino acids and antibodies to fight infection and repair damage.

Professor Berdanier claims increasing our intake of fat will temper this reaction as the body can see fat stores are already available.

Exercise and increased protein intake can also help to prevent muscle breakdown. "Of course, there are other nice effects from exercise, such as increasing the amount of serotonin produced by the brain, which can affect appetite and mood".

Thursday, 1 November 2001