Stress, Anxiety, Hormones Linked to Mental Decline

A 2012 study, brought to our attention by noted endocrinologist Dr. Joel Ehrenkranz, entitled The ageing cortical synapse: hallmarks and implications for cognitive decline (by John H. Morrison & Mark G. Baxter) offers new and thought-provoking insights into how and why cognition declines with age.

The breakthrough idea is that the deterioration can be related to stress, anxiety and hormonal changes, and as such, cognitive impairment should be treated

as a systemic problem, rather than a localized condition of the prefrontal cortex, for example.

To quote the paper itself: “The data on the effects of stress and sex steroids on the ageing brain and cognition… make it clear that the brain cannot be viewed in isolation with respect to the neurobiological basis of cognitive decline. Given the impact of menopause on women’s health, as well as the requirements to maintain optimal executive function in the face of stressful conditions, future work should target the nature of these interactions with an eye towards interventions that might be behavioural as well as pharmaceutical. “

The research was conducted in monkeys and rodents, but the implications for human cognition are significant.

You can read the article at http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v13/n4/full/nrn3200.html

Here’s the point: it seems that almost daily, science uncovers more ways that stress can harms us… everything from damaging the heart to compromising immunity to encouraging weight gain and altering metabolism… and now (it seems) to speeding our cognitive decline.

There just seems to be no end to the negative, long-tail effects of stress, anxiety and excess cortisol.

The link between stress and mental decline needs a lot more research… but for aging boomers, in particular, finding ways to reduce stress and normalize cortisol seems like a very prudent thing to do.

Meditation, massage therapy, supplementation to normalize cortisol (p-serine is a good place to start), and any number of relaxation techniques will help reduce stress and anxiety and that’s always, always a good thing.

NOTE: The use of formulations like Sanyx (http://MySanyx.com) to lower stress-induced cortisol can be a solid first step in mitigating the negative effects of stress and anxiety.

Defeat Stress, Cortisol and Ab Flab with Exercise, Mediation and Sanyx

Fat around the middle, ‘affectionately’ known as Ab Flab, is an American problem. Just take a walk around your local mall and you’ll see what I mean. Men, women, children… belly fat is ubiquitous.

In many cases, Ab Flab is the direct result of excess, chronic stress which creates high cortisol levels that scientists claim actually kill neurons in the brain and interfere with neurotransmitter hormones like dopamine and serotonin… tings that make us feel good.

Essentially, we’re stressed, we eat to ‘escape’ the pain (not because we’re hungry) and voila… Ab Flab.

Plus, when were stresses we have the tendency to eat whatever is quick and at hand – meaning fast foods and junk foods, which only make the problem worse. Even the most conscientious eater tends to abandon his or her healthy routine for a fast food fix.

Then there’s alcohol, of course. We’re stressed, the feel good hormones aren’t doing the job, so we take a drink or two or more. That’s more useless calories followed by more junk/comfort foods.

The answer isn’t one thing, it’s many. Exercise, of course, to burn calories and reduce tension. Even a 30 minute walk reduces hypertension significantly.

Exercise and meditation of any kind can help release endorphins (they help you feel better) and serotonin (which improves your mood so you’re less likely to binge eat.

It’s easy to understand how excess cortisol caused by stress can be a primary trigger for a cascade of eating behaviors that lead to Ab Flab. Help control cortisol and you could start seeing a slimmer waistline!

Again, exercise and meditation are great first steps. Stress mitigating supplements like Sanyx can be great tools for ameliorating the effects of stress via its cortisol-antagonizing action, and reducing your desire for comfort foods and, in turn, shrinking Ab Flab.

Stress, Cortisol, Obesity, Squirrels & Bigger Babies

OK, it's squirrels, not people, but the research has implications for humans.

Canadian researchers examined the way stress affects red squirrels and concludes that mother squirrels exposed to high levels of stress had bigger babies… even though the others didn’t eat any more calories.

In a related study, squirrels were fed cortisol-laced food and the results were the same.

In both cases, if there were elevated levels of cortisol in the mother’s body, the baby grew bigger and faster.

So here’s the question – could this fact explain the meteoric rise in obesity around the world? It’s theory that’s gaining in popularity – even if the jump from squirrels to humans is… well… quite a leap.

Still, this is just another link, perhaps coincidental, in understanding the relationship between cortisol and stress… stress and your health.

It couldn’t hurt expectant mothers to relax a bit more, could it? And maybe, just maybe, their children would be less likely to become obese?

It’s worth a try.

Sanyx Update: What Do You Know About Stress and Cortisol?

Here’s a list of the possible adverse effects of excess stress and cortisol. Which ones are medically correct?

• Suppressing the immune system
• Lowering thyroid function
• Increasing blood pressure and cardiovascular disease
• Slowing the healing process
• Causing osteoporosis from loss of bone density
• Contributing to muscle wasting
• Contributing to diabetes
• Increasing appetite, obesity, and abdominal fat
• Raising toxicity for brain cells
• Increasing incidence of depression and tendency toward Alzheimer’s Disease
• Shutting down the reproductive system

You’ve already guessed – ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Now do you see the importance of controlling stress and cortisol – through exercise, meditation, proper nutrition and Sanyx, of course.

Sanyx, Cortisol and Athletic Performance

Sure, high cortisol levels are indicative if stress and weight gain. But how does cortisol affect athletic performance?

Well, Navy Seals, the best trained ‘athletes’ in the US military, have a median cortisol level that’s 200% above average, according to The Daily PT, Military.com’s Fitness Blog

“The more your body has the capacity to produce elevated levels of cortisol during short periods of time the better your capabilities are for achieving top- notch sports results and increasing  your survival rates during combat operations. Cortisol also has properties to elevate pain thresholds and produce unprecedented pain tolerance in individuals.”
So, does that mean high cortisol levels are good for world class athletes?

Not really.

Here’s what the military (Air Force Fitness) concludes:

Cortisol Molecule

“Although cortisol is a main contributing factor to achieving success in sports and combat operations it is very important to control its levels and maintain so- called cortisol ‘rest’ periods. This is where recovery supplements... are useful. Many sports and military training tips include the use of dietary supplements and nutritional advice to keep your body at homeostasis. When your body is balanced and trained from its foundation, it can function and respond as you hope it will when you’re out on a mission and performance really matters.”

This analysis is in step with current medical thinking. Simply put, stress is not all bad, particularly for those seeking optimum physical performance. But unmanaged, continual stress can cause physical and emotional problems that limit performance and adversely affect both physical and cognitive health.

Sanyx Coming Soon

The potentially harmful effects of stress are well documented, and so are the medical studies suggesting that cortisol plays an enormous role in how our bodies handle stress. Simply put, too much cortisol means too much stress… which ultimately harms the body in many, many ways… not the least of which is tension, irritability and weight gain. That’s right, weight gain. Stress and excess cortisol have been linked to binge eating, overeating and weight gain.

More importantly, the effect of stress on vital organs, including the heart, are a primary concern of physicians and their patients.

Athletes and fitness buffs know that stress adversely effects performance and recovery. Simply put, you can’t be your best under stress.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a proven, effective, nutraceutical solution… until now.

Introducing Sanyx — specifically designed to blunt the effects of stress by inhibiting cortisol secretion in response to stressful stimuli and antagonizing cortisol’s action on target organs.

But the introduction is a bit premature. This trademarked, proprietary formulation will be released on June 1 and available at http://www.mysanyx.com (The site is currently under construction.)

Information will continue to be released via this blog as it is made available by Peak Biometric Research.