Eating foods high in fat impairs our ability to cope with the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system and the brain.
- According to a study, eating fatty foods when a person is stressed reduces vascular function by 1.74%. As a reminder, a 1% reduction in vascular function leads to a 13% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Participants who consumed fatty foods had a 39% reduced oxygen supply to the prefrontal cortex during the stressful episode compared to participants who ate a healthier diet.
- It would be possible to ward off the effects of stress by consuming, during peaks of anxiety, “healthier” foods, particularly those rich in polyphenols, such as cocoa, berries, grapes, apples and other fruits and vegetables. vegetables.
Obesity, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, cognitive decline… Having a diet too rich in fat is far from without health risks. A new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutritionreveals that consuming fatty foods before an episode of stress can slow down oxygenation of the brain and deteriorate vascular function, thus hindering the body’s “recovery” from the harmful effects of stress.
Stress + fat and vascular function declines
To achieve this observation, researchers from the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) carried out an experiment on a group of healthy adults aged 18 to 30. After having them eat two buttered croissants for breakfast, the participants had to perform mental mathematics exercises, increasingly quickly, for eight minutes. They were alerted if there was a wrong answer, and could see themselves on a screen throughout the process. A program “designed to simulate the daily stresses we might face at work or at home”can we read in a communicated.
“When we are stressed, our heart rate and blood pressure increase, our blood vessels dilate and blood flow to the brain increasesexplains researcher Rosalind Baynham, first author of the study. While we know that the elasticity of our blood vessels (which is a measure of vascular function) declines after mental stress, we found that eating fatty foods when a person is stressed reduced vascular function by 1 .74%.”
As a reminder, a 1% reduction in vascular function leads to a 13% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the specialist. “This alteration in vascular function persisted even longer when the participants ate the croissants.”
Fatty foods have a negative effect on mood when stressed
The study also showed that the consumption of fatty foods caused a drop in cerebral oxygenation in the prefrontal cortex, with a 39% reduction in oxygen intake (39% reduction in oxygenated hemoglobin) during stress. compared to participants who had a less fatty diet. Not to mention that it had a “negative effect on mood and cognitive function, both during and after the stress episode”.
“Food choices under stress can both amplify and protect against the effects of stress on our cardiovascular system. The good news is that this means we can do something about it.”, suggests Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, who participated in the study. By consuming healthier foods, particularly those rich in polyphenols such as cocoa, berries, grapes or even apples, “this alteration of vascular function can be completely avoided” during peak stress.
