How does money stress affect your health?

Why does financial stress affect your health?

Sometimes anxiety can feel like everything is stuck in your head, but stress can manifest itself physically in a number of ways.

"It affects every system, from heartbeat to breathing and our brains," says Dr Zoe Gotts, a consultant clinical psychologist at the London Sleep Centre.

While a little stress can be a good thing because it motivates us to take action and keeps us safe, it can be harmful in the long run.

"High stress triggers the fight-or-flight response, which leads to increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones have the ability to suppress the digestive, immune and reproductive systems and greatly disturb sleep," Gotts continues.

Signs and symptoms

Some of the signs that money stress is affecting your health are more obvious than others.

"Key indicators include lack of sleep, irritability, low energy and crying," says Simon Combs, BACP registered therapist, founder and director of Working Minds.

Some people also lose their appetite and do not drink enough water.

Other problems that can occur or worsen include: "migraine headaches, back and muscle pain, digestive and gastrointestinal problems, insomnia, high blood pressure, and irregular heartbeat," Gotts says.

Unhealthy choices

In addition to unwanted symptoms, stress can lead to engaging in unhealthy behaviors.

"For example, overeating, alcohol and drug use, as well as sedentary behaviors such as watching TV and gaming. These behaviors can take a toll on a person's health and finances," says Gotts.

And eating junk food for a dopamine shot or more coffee to counteract the sleepless nights, with not enough energy to exercise, can create a vicious cycle.

Combs warns that "a poor diet leads to physical inactivity and creates adverse psychological conditions as a result, such as anxiety and depression. Physical problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease all increase risks due to poor diet, lack of exercise and poor mental health."

Stress management

To get your health back on track, our experts say it's a matter of treating the symptoms of stress, as well as the cause, with awareness being the first step.

"It's important to pay attention to your body and notice when you feel the effects of stress. For example, do you find it difficult to calm down? Do you feel too nervous talking to others? Is your sleep disturbed?" says Gotts.

And exercise can be very effective at relieving stress — and it doesn't have to be daunting.

"Having serotonin naturally gives us clarity of thought, more energy and motivation to tackle life's challenges," Coombs says. "A simple walk in the fresh air allows the brain to slow its constant buzzing and provides a mild release of endorphins, to reduce anxiety and encourage action."

Eating a well-balanced diet is also important, as is seeking help if you need it: "If you are concerned about your physical or mental health, you should contact your GP."

"You may need to get more professional help from a therapist," adds Gotts.

Take control of your money

It can be tempting to bury your head in the sand when it comes to financial problems.

“Taking action instead of procrastinating can be incredibly powerful, even though it can be intimidating at first,” Coombs says. “Whether you're at work or otherwise, it's absolutely essential to act.”

And take practical steps to stay on top of your capital, Gotts says: "For example, creating a realistic budget and identifying areas where spending can be reduced."

Ask for support

"Remind yourself, no matter your position, that you are never alone if you know who is going to help you," Coombs says.

"You may need advice from a financial advisor, or you may want to reach out to a friend or family member to talk to," Gotts says. "Make sure they understand that you're not being pressured into spending." Source: The Independent

A study refutes a common claim about products to enhance breast milk production!

American nutrition researchers have collaborated on a new study pouring cold water on the claim that "lactation biscuits" boost breast milk production.

A controlled trial compares breast-feeding mothers who eat "milk-inducing" biscuits daily with women who find no evidence that consumption of these biscuits has the reported effect.

Biscuit products are often expensive, high in calories and added sugar, and are marketed with ingredients said to increase milk production, but researchers warn this could mislead new and inexperienced parents.

“Despite being a physician and nutritionist who focuses on early-stage nutrition, I still remember how difficult it was for me and my baby to breastfeed,” says lead author and nutrition scientist Ana Palacios of Georgia Southern University. Buying lactation biscuits to increase milk production has It constitutes an unnecessary cost and may have additional effects on mothers, such as reducing post-pregnancy weight loss and reducing consumption of healthy foods.

Palacios and her colleagues from four US universities looked at how well the biscuit products produced milk in 176 female participants who were exclusively breastfeeding a healthy two-month-old baby.

"Products with potentially misleading claims fill the market. A variety of commercially available products claim to improve lactation and maternal/infant health; however, there is little evidence to support the claimed benefits," they wrote in their published paper.

To test the claims, study participants were randomly assigned to either lactation-specific biscuit products that contain ingredients said to enhance milk production, or regular biscuit products that are similar in calories and presentation but lack these ingredients. Without knowing which type they had, the mothers were asked to consume approximately 57g (2oz) of their biscuit product each day for a month.

After a month of daily consumption of biscuit products, there was no significant difference in breast milk production between the control and experimental groups.

"Our research highlights that lactation-specific biscuit products, which include added sugars and saturated fats, may not have the reported purported benefits of increasing milk production," Palacios explains.

The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding with complementary foods until the age of two or beyond.

There are many reasons why mothers stop breastfeeding earlier than is personally recommended or desirable. One of the reasons for this is that some mothers feel that they do not have enough milk to feed their babies.

And perhaps to tap into this lucrative market - lactation biscuit products are made with galactagogues, ingredients that are claimed to increase milk production. Oatmeal, flaxseed meal, fenugreek, brewer's yeast, and blessed thistle extract are just some of the many galactagogues commonly used in these biscuit products.

The research team notes that there has been a lack of high-quality research on the effects of diuretics on human milk production, and that previous studies have different approaches that make it difficult to draw general conclusions or establish a causal relationship.

“Often in the field of nutrition and food, strong beliefs — sometimes even well-reasoned guesses based on some scientific knowledge — are mistaken for proven facts,” says David Allison, an epidemiologist and biostatistician at Indiana University. “A guess is good, but knowledge is better.” "We investigated the effects of nutrition and nutritional supplementation through rigorous, randomized, controlled trials. After conducting such a study on lactation biscuit products, we found no evidence of their effectiveness."

The researchers suggest that more research is needed on other lactation-specific biscuit products and on mothers with low milk supply. This study used only one type of lactation biscuit product, and the subjects in this study thought they had enough milk to start with.

"The burden of proof now falls on those who claim there was an effect," Allison concludes.

The research has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Source: ScienceAlert

Why can fiber really reduce your appetite?

Researchers found that people who ate a combination of high-fiber fruits and vegetables, or who took a fiber supplement, had less of a bile acid called isoUDCA in their bodies.

People with low isoUDCA usually have a lower appetite, which may help them lose weight by eating less.

The study is the first to link fiber to this important type of bile acid, which can also play a role in people's risk of cardiovascular disease.

Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London and co-author of the research, said: 'This study highlights the key role that fiber plays in regulating appetite and metabolism, which is harnessed by specific gut microbes. The gut microbiome and its chemical products such as these bile acids It shows promise for reducing obesity without the need for invasive surgery."

The researchers looked at four studies involving thousands of people, including two that found that people who ate healthier overall, consuming more fruits and vegetables high in fiber, had lower levels of isoUDCA.

A separate study of 32 older adults who took a daily 20 mg fiber supplement for six weeks found that they also had lower isoUDCA levels afterward. Women with low isoUDCA levels, asked about how hungry they were before breakfast over a period of a few days, generally rated their appetite as lower in the diet study group of 327 women.

The results suggest that lower levels of isoUDCA, which is produced by bacteria in the gut, can reduce appetite, and that fiber supplementation can reduce isoUDCA, which may be beneficial for dietitians.

This could mean that people who eat a high-fiber diet, or those who take fiber supplements, may benefit from some of the health benefits and decreased appetite experienced by obese people after gastric bypass operations.

Another study in the research showed that these people also had lower levels of isoUDCA, as well as a lower level of triglycerides - a blood fat associated with an increased risk of heart disease or stroke.

Not only is a low level of isoUDCA associated with lower triglycerides, but it may reduce the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The study, which compared isoUDCA in twins, found that this bile acid level is to some extent determined by genes that are passed down in families, but mainly by how we live.

It is closely linked to gut bacteria, which are known to play a huge role in health, and are changed by what we eat.

The study found that the best way to significantly reduce isoUDCA was to perform gastric bypass, but fiber still appeared to moderately but significantly reduce bile acid.

The study was published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine. Source: Daily Mail