For several years, the scientific community has been interested in the effects of psychological stress on health. In particular, studies have shown that in the case of infection, stress is associated with reduced efficiency of the immune defense system.
When your physical health is in a state of change – whether it's a "stupid cold" or any other condition – have you ever noticed that it coincides with (or follows) a period of intense stress? What if, in addition to the mental load it generates, excess stress also impacted your physiological health?
Several studies have confirmed the link between psychological stress and weakened immune systems. Marie Verwacht, naturopath and trainer, specialized in nutritherapy-nutrition, explains how to choose a diet that strengthens our natural defenses.
Stress is a reaction of the body, signaling the presence of risk and the need to remedy it. This mechanism, aimed at protecting us from imminent danger, has existed for millennia: we often give, as an example, the "stress of the hunter", when he is facing a predatory animal. To stimulate self-defense, the body activates a series of survival functions: the heart beats faster and sugar levels rise, to provide energy to the muscles, breathing accelerates to bring more oxygen... In the case of the hunter, the situation is resolved very quickly: he defends himself with his weapon or he flees.
However, stress that sets in over time can become deleterious. "The problem today," explains Marie Verwacht, "is that we experience stresses that are not solved quickly: a tense situation, in a family or professional environment, that persists, without being able to escape it... All the energy is mobilized; there is much less energy for other vital functions (digestion, tissue repair, recovery...). In short, everything that is not survival takes a back seat. Over time, the accumulated tension, as well as the physiological reactions that respond to it, can also weaken the body's natural defenses.
Although they have not yet elucidated everything, some recent studies have confirmed the link between stress and immunity. Published in 2003, the book "Stress, pathologies and immunity" studies the relationship between the onset of certain diseases and the impact of stress on immunity. In 2017, a team of INSERM researchers clarified the biological mechanism, which governs this association: in the event of psychological stress, the stimulation of certain receptors by stress hormones would have the effect of reducing the immune response.
In 2013, researchers at Ohio State University looked at the effect of chronic stress on immunity. Their results show that intense and regular stress can, in some cases, trigger an overreaction of the immune, which can lead to inflammation. This exacerbated immunity could increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, obesity, and diabetes.
Too much cortisol, the body panics...
Secreted by the adrenal glands, cortisol is one of the stress hormones. Indeed, among multiple functions, its role is to help the body cope with stress, mobilizing the energy necessary to nourish the muscles, brain, and heart. However, repeated or lasting stress can cause an excess of cortisol: "Cortisol," says Marie Verwacht, "keeps you awake, alert. If there are too many, there is a risk of first becoming "too awake, hyperactive, before collapsing and going as far as burnout, if the situation is not resolved. Too high a level of cortisol in the blood prevents us from resting and can also become aggressive towards our body. »
Stress and intestines: the infernal machine
Prolonged stress, therefore, consumes all our energy, to the detriment of other vital functions. One of the first functions to suffer is digestion. In the journal Cerveau et Psycho, Professor Bruno B onaz, a gastroenterologist and director of a research team at the Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences stated: "... Today, no one doubts it: research and medicine have revealed that stress, understood in the broad sense of the term, causes both organic and functional disorders, especially in the digestive system. »
However, adds Marie Verwacht, "the immune system sits mainly in the intestines. These are, moreover, a massive way of entry into the body. They must therefore be particularly protected... Under the effect of stress, they function as a sub-diet: they are not well irrigated, their functioning is disturbed and the immune system suffers. »
That is why it is important to take care of your diet to protect your intestines.
A balanced diet boosts immunity
When we are exposed to stress, a healthy and varied diet helps maintain the balance of the intestinal flora and, by the same token, strengthen our natural defenses.
The intestinal flora, also called "microbiota", is "the set of non-pathogenic microorganisms that colonize our digestive tract. They are ten times more numerous than the total number of cells in our body, more than one hundred thousand billion. These are bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi, the former being the most represented. »
A balanced microbiota actively contributes to the digestion of food and the body's defense. We have more than two kilos of bacteria in the intestines. They feed on all the debris of our food, which they transform. In exchange, they provide us with services: they activate and regulate the immune system, protect the intestinal mucosa, produce fuel for our cells...
An imbalanced microbiota, on the other hand, decreases the integrity of the intestinal mucosa. The naturopath explains: "There are not really good and bad bacteria. It is a set of populations of bacteria that balance each other... If they are not provided with proper food, some populations of bacteria will grow more than others. This imbalance interferes with the proper functioning of the intestine. »
Some products (alcohol, food additives...) as well as certain drugs (anti-inflammatories), consumed in excess, also attack the intestinal wall. Antibiotics, on the other hand, deplete the microbiota. That is why it is better to avoid them as much as possible and, if this is not possible, make a course of probiotics after treatment. We can find natural probiotics in raw Lacto-fermented foods (sauerkraut, miso, tempeh, kefir ...), and prebiotics, that is to say, fibers that feed our good bacteria, in vegetables, whole grains.
Choosing an anti-stress diet
The growing rise of the food industry has paradoxical effects: we have access to a more abundant and cheaper diet, but are deficient in nutrients (vitamins, minerals), because of production, processing, and preservation techniques. The market is flooded with food products with high caloric density and low nutritional value. Cereals, for example, refining removes their husk, rich in minerals and vitamins, to keep only starch. This type of diet has adverse effects on health, weight. Hence the need for a varied diet, very little processed and very fresh.
A diversified diet consists of all classes of nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates. These three categories can be found in both animal and plant products.
• Proteins: meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, but also legumes (lentils, chickpeas) and oleaginous fruits (nuts).
• Lipids: prefer raw vegetable oils (flaxseed oil, soybeans, squash, nuts,...) and foods rich in omega 3, which have an anti-inflammatory effect, such as fatty fish. Tip: eat small wild fish (sardines, mackerel, anchovies...). Being at the beginning of the food chain, they are less polluted.
• Carbohydrates: they are found in starchy foods, fruits, and vegetables, in sugar as is, but also in biscuits and snacks of the industrial trade, which contain flour and added sugar. Favor whole grain products (wholemeal and multicereal bread, pasta and brown rice...) rather than those based on refined flour.
Limit your consumption of ultra-processed products: they are not recommended, because of the refined flours and sugar they contain, but also bad fats, salt, and additives. The diet of industrialized countries, rich in sugars and inflammatory fats, also promotes chronic diseases, as shown by numerous studies.
Plants are preferred because they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Eat as much as possible of fresh, local, and seasonal fruits and vegetables (especially vegetables). Consume raw or cooked, but not overcooked, nor too long, in order to preserve their nutrients.
In order to avoid "water stress", be sure to drink plenty of pure water because dehydration "stresses" all cells. In general, beverages other than pure water, such as coffee, tea, juices, and other sugary drinks, are dehydrated. If you stay in a heated interior for a long time, drink plenty of water. Dry mouth, headaches, and dark urine are obvious signs of dehydration.
Finally, a balanced diet prevents the risk of deficiencies, especially in Zinc or vitamin D, whose essential role of immunity has been demonstrated.
• Foods rich in zinc: oysters, roasted wheat germ, veal liver, ground beef, dried shiitake mushrooms, roasted squash seeds, crustaceans (crab, lobster)...
• Foods rich in Vitamin D: fatty fish (salmon, sardines, smoked herring, tuna ...), eggs, mushrooms
A diet adapted to our biological rhythm
Our body follows the cyclical rhythm of life, according to the seasons, hormonal changes... It is also "wedged" on the circadian rhythm, the "day-night" cycle. The secretion of cortisol, for example, is not only triggered by stress. It adapts to the circadian cycle.
Our "day-night" biological rhythm is regulated by a set of neurotransmitters, including:
• In the morning, the secret organism of dopamine, which stimulates wakefulness, energy, motivation, good mood, entrepreneurship ...
• At the end of the day and in the evening, the body secretes serotonin, which provides a feeling of soothing, calm, self-control. It reduces aggression, cravings, addictions and prepares us to sleep.
We can provide our body with materials to promote their synthesis:
• A salty and protein breakfast: a boiled or fried egg, organic wholemeal sourdough bread, spread with hummus, ham or cheese, almond or walnut cream. Like English or Japanese breakfast. In the food traditions of the world, breakfast is essentially salty. The sweet breakfast is a very recent Western invention, from the time when the Colonies provided us with coffee, tea, cocoa, cane sugar ... However, protein (and therefore salty) foods stimulate the secretion of dopamine, which ensures more stable energy than the "straw fire" effect of sugar.
• A vitamin-sweet snack: the ideal time to treat yourself to a little sweetness is in the late afternoon (around 4-5 pm): a fruit, a yogurt, a handful of nuts, a pastry, but of good quality (non-industrial), a piece of chocolate, preferably black because less rich in sugar and richer in magnesium. This will support the secretion of serotonin in the brain.
• A light dinner to promote digestion and optimize sleep.
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