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healing ways
MANAGING STRESS AND BLOOD SUGAR By Nourishing Your Pallet by Drew Mulvey
W
e throw the term “stress” around a lot, and as of late it has been used much more. What exactly does this little word entail? Is stress a bad thing? It depends on the perception of it and the length of time. Stress, in and of itself, is not bad and can help us to grow. Yet, when stress is prolonged to the point where it is debilitating, problems begin to arise. Another term for this is allostatic overload, or the cumulative wear and tear of the body systems from chronic stress and/or the body’s inability to adapt to that stress. How does this relate to blood sugar regulation? We will take a look at the link between stress and cortisol. Cortisol is a catecholamine, or hormone, generated by the adrenal glands. Initially, it works as an anti-inflammatory and helps our body to be awake. In fact, cortisol is typically elevated in the morn18
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ing to keep us alert and focused for the day. But here is where the problem lies. When the body is exposed to this hormone for prolonged periods of time, cells become less sensitive to insulin, which can halt weight loss and create that extra tire around the middle. How is this? Glucocorticoids, such as cortisol, are responsible for halting the secretion of insulin from cells in the pancreas known as beta cells, inhibiting the uptake of glucose; it can impair the signal from insulin in the muscles. One of insulin’s roles is lipogenesis, or the creation of adipocytes, or fat cells. This can also contribute to storage of visceral fat, which is the precursor to comorbidities, particularly insulin resistance. Thus, prolonged exposure can cause weight loss resistance and, later on, blood sugar issues. Therefore, it is important for us to manage stress. One way to accomplish this is using
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the power of nutrition.
Nutrition Carbohydrates Just as mood can dictate what we eat in healthy or unhealthy ways, food can also have an effect on our mood and counteract the negative effects of stress. With all the hype around low-carb diets, it may be time to debunk the myth that carbs are the enemy. They are, in fact, our friends. Carbohydrates help amino acids such as tryptophan, which are responsible for the generation of our well-being compound serotonin, cross the blood brain barrier. Craving carbs when we want some joy leads to the next factor below. Carbs also decrease production of cortisol, our stress hormone. As mentioned above, exposure to cortisol over an extended amount of time can create insulin and weight loss
