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..
YES!, and your point? The question was can you sub butter for Margarine....DUH! Go to your room!
You my dear are always near the top of my list without any fear of losing that spot.. :o)
You are now a member of the team..pull up a chair! Add anything you wish to the mix.. including anything good to eat!! ..LOL
Here's Dr. Mercola's page on Aspartame:
More:
Just about every major diet cola drink has these bad sweeteners in them .. I used to be hooked on Diet Coke .. but for the last 4-5 years, I'm a pure water girl .. NO sodas .. made a HUGE difference.
When I think about it now, I have to apologize for not remembering that I got sick from the lowcarb shake because it had SPLENDA/SUCRALOSE in it .. NOT aspartame. I strictly avoid aspartame because of the reaction I get to it, and hadn't really used anything to my knowledge with Splenda/Sucralose, so I decided to try it. BIG MISTAKE!
What color Bear.. Polar Bears prefer White Chocolate, and Brown bears.. die for Milk Chocolate.. Panda's aren't really bears, and I don't think you will bump into any of them in the Yukon.. but who knows.. if so they like Bamboo Chocolate.. recipe will follow if required.. LOL
You are correct! The trick is to find a lifestyle change that is easy to follow and satisfying. Lo-carb is the solution for many of us.
The internet is your friend .. if you find something you're unsure of, take the time and check it out. It's your and your family's health at stake here. God Bless All!
Will have to bookmark so when I am back on my computer I can find this recipe.
;-`)Stevia PlusTM is also enhanced with fructooligosaccharides that cultivate the growth of friendly bacteria in your system. These friendly bacteria can help control yeast and candida. Stevia PlusTM contains no:
Saccharin
Aspartame
Refined sugar
Maltodextrin
Fructose
Artificial sweeteners of any kind
I got this info at: http://www.unikeyhealth.com/products_weightloss_steviaplus.asp
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