The stress and frustration levels were already rising in the US population even before the coronavirus pandemic and presidential elections. As per the American Psychological Association, nearly 40% of Americans are suffering from anxiety. Diet plays an important part in a good health but certain diets such as the Mediterranean diet has more benefits to offer than the popular American diet. The new study highlights the role of the Mediterranean diet in stress relieving and saving a person from psychotic disorders.
These elevated stress levels can negatively impact the professional and personal life. It can also increase the risk for certain health diseases such as heart problems, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Lastly, stress shortens the average life span of a person, increasing his mortality risk.
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Switching to a Mediterranean diet can help a person in many ways and stress-relief is only one of its benefits. It can change the physiological response of stress on the body, saving it from fatal diseases and premature aging. The new study by the research team of Wake Forest School of Medicine confirms it.
The preclinical trial of this study measures the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet and its comparison with a popular western diet. Controlling certain variables, the results show that the Mediterranean diet is helpful to decrease the negative effects of stress.
Most people fail to manage stress which in turn, makes their everyday life miserable. But one thing that they often forget is that these effects are not just mental, they are physical too.
Diet plays an important part in overall good health. there is plenty of data from previous studies that show stress reduction with a natural diet. But the popular diet patterns don’t contain sufficient fruit, veggies, and other healthy ingredient. In fact, the American diet is one of the worst in terms of nutritional support. It may taste good but it actually provides very little nutrition to the body. Not only it lowers immunity but also causes weight gain.
On the other side, fresh sources-based diets such as the Mediterranean diet benefits the body in every possible way. It adds all the necessary nutrients to the body, improves immunity, controls weight, and regulates the body’s stress levels.
Also read- Poor Diets in Children Are the Main Culprit for Short Heights
In this new study, the research team used animal models to analyze the effects of the Mediterranean and western diets. They overlooked the changes in the cortisol release in stressful environments, closely monitoring their parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.
Cortisol is a natural hormone that is released during a stressful time. The study results were surprising because the animals on the Mediterranean diet were less susceptible to stress resilience and higher cortisol response and a speedy recovery from stress.
These findings clearly tell that adopting a Mediterranean diet or any diet similar to this can save people from numerous diseases. Following this type of diet is simple and less expensive than the popular western diet. Also, it has a positive effect on the body as it promotes natural healing.
More information
The complete study findings are now published in the journal Neurobiology of Stress. Click here to read it.
Reference– “Mediterranean diet, stress resilience, and aging in nonhuman primates”
