Posted on 10/12/2003 8:20:04 AM PDT by carlo3b
Eat some Chocolate Cake and just Relax..!!Maybe not!.. It's A GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS story...
We always knew this was so, but most of us were at a loss to explain it.. Eating something devilish, like cake or anything sweet, makes us simmer down.
Well, let me try to explain it in words that may assist us all in understanding.. This is with the help of, none other than the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.
THE GOOD NEWS. Those sweet and fatty foods that we often turn to in times of stress might in fact calm nerves, and relieve anxiety. That's the good news in an innovative biological theory of people's responses to stress. (If you are already stresses, you should stop here an get another Hershey's kiss, before proceeding)
The bad news (You knew this was coming so calm down) is that for those with chronic nervousness, and unusual levels of stress, those extra servings of comfort food come with potentially dangerous baggage, extra fat around the waist. SHAAZAM!
If that didn't do it for you .. Chronic stress, brought about by everyday trials and tribulations, is less well understood than are intermittent bouts of extreme, and acute stress. Here is what scientists know, that when a cat is suddenly attacked by a dog or a person prepares to give a speech, the adrenal gland pumps up production of stress hormones, including those known as glucocorticoids. When present at high-enough concentrations, glucocorticoids provide feedback to the stress-response system, eventually shutting it down.
To the researchers, it is still unclear how the stress response is controlled in animals that remain anxious for days at a time. However in the labs of physiologist Mary F. Dallman of the University of California, San Francisco and her colleagues, they aim to close that knowledge gap.
Drawing on their animals studies and experiments, these and other scientists propose that glucocorticoids work differently in the long term than they do in the short term. Meaning, that when chronically present in the brain and body, the hormones maintain the stress response instead of shutting it down. At the same time, they drive animals to seek out pleasurable foods, much the same as we do in our own nest. This directs the added calories to accumulate as abdominal fat,
However, there is a bright light in this process, at least in animal experiments. That unwanted extra fat eventually checks the glucocorticoids' alarmist effects and tells the brain to Whoa!
The results from several laboratory experiments with rodents (isn't this comforting.. get another Hershey's Kiss) support this view, the scientists say. In one set of conclusions, Dallman and her colleagues simulated chronic stress by increasing the brain concentration of a rodent version of the glucocorticoid called cortisol. As cortisol concentration rose, the rats responded by drinking increasingly more sugar water, eating increasingly more lard, and gaining abdominal girth. Ugh!
In an additional experiment, the researchers found that rats (maybe even you, you dainty mouse) with extra padding produce less-than-average concentrations of a brain chemical that triggers early molecular events underlying the stress response. HUH?
"If you put on some extra weight, there seems to be some sort of signal that says things are better," says Norman C. Pecoraro of UC-San Francisco, a coauthor of the paper. While Dallman and her coworkers don't know what signal the abdominal fat sends, they suspect it's involved with the regulation of metabolism.Whatever accounts for the urge to eat a big helping of Lasagna, it's best not to indulge in it every day. The abdominal weight gain that Dallman and her colleagues have linked to glucocorticoid action increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. {{{{{SHUDDER}}}}} OH! I see... *<@)... I just thought you should know..The model "puts a new and more meaningful slant on what we mean when we talk about 'comfort foods,'" says Bruce S. McEwen of Rockefeller University in New York. "These may actually calm down an important brain system linked to anxiety."
In a fast-paced society where food is easy to get, glucocorticoid action probably causes chronically stressed people to take in extra calories and to gain weight, says McEwen.
"People are somehow stressed, and they are self-medicating because food is available," adds Pecoraro.
"We also eat sugar and fat because they are good tasting and cheap," notes Adam Drewnowski of the University of Washington in Seattle. The stress response isn't the only brain pathway that controls consumption of sweet and high fat foods, he adds.
SOOOO.. put down the Kiss and go kiss someone..
If you have access to a microwave it is simple. I do it every day.
Here is something that can be prepared the night before and assembled in the morning.. Pop it into a micro, with the Tomato Sauce, or eat just the tomatoes and green beans chilled, either way it is delicious!
Garden Fresh Tomato and Green Beans Try this with broccoli, asparagus, zucchinis, eggplant..etc..yummmmmm!
1) Wash and dice fresh tomatoes.
2) Wash and chop green beans or other vegetable.
Heat sauce pan with olive oil, on medium low.
Add garlic, tomatoes, green beans, salt and pepper.
Stir and cook down till tomatoes look saucy and green beans are tender, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Fresh Tomato Sauce
1) Wash and dice fresh tomatoes.
2) Heat oil, garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper in a sauce pan.
Stir until it cooks down and forms a mildly thick sauce, 5-10 minutes.
Sure, now everybody is jumping on this bandwagon, I can remember when saying something positive about Atkins was akin to joining the flat earth society.
Listen, there is a seismic shift taking place in the medical establishment, as they are reassessing their strong opposition to Low Carb diets. This has to do with overwhelming success..
If it is this or any of the hundreds of diets are clearly one size doesn't fit all and none are great for everyone.. but, there appears to be some pretty strong evidence that this dog hunts, and the old ways and old days are over!
Poverty works pretty well in a pinch! When we couldn't afford to buy junk foods, or even convenient frozen foods. Folks had to labor outdoors for hours and could afford only homegrown fresh vegetables eggs, chicken, and lots of soup..
Sooooo send me all of your dirty money, and you might live longer.. :)
I never promised a rose garden, just a Garden Fresh Salad .. :|
I had a hard boiled egg for breakfast at the office. Two is ok as well.
I had a small green salad with bleu cheese dressing, about a half dozen small mixed type cheese cubes, and two fully cooked frozen hamburger patties microwaved for a few minutes for lunch. I brought it all from home.
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