How stress affects our body Bez kategorii
How does stress affect our body? Stressors of high intensity and acting on the body for a long period of time have unpleasant and often very painful consequences. They disrupt the body’s natural protective barrier, which is immunity to infections and other diseases. It therefore has a wide range of activities.
It all starts with an excessive accumulation of reactive forms of oxygen or nitrogen, which under conditions of full health are neutralized by special units called antioxidants (antioxidants). The resulting free radicals are like velcro, which are only looking for an opportunity to attach to some free molecule that has a free electron. Most often they are amino acids, fatty acids and many other molecules.
The formation of more and more such “mutated” cells is a threat to the body. In this way, it also leads to the formation of cancer cells that divide uncontrollably and increase their volume.
How does stress affect our body? – symptoms
The first ailments felt by humans include: excessive feeling of fatigue, decreased concentration, frequent headaches and even migraines, weakness of the body, problems with digestion and defecation, skin problems, muscle and joint pains, inflammation and many others. As you can see, the symptoms are basically disorders of the whole body.
Do not have to occur all of the above, but focusing on one or several sites untreated such a condition lead to the destruction of the body. This is how autoimmune diseases such as: Hashimoto’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, … (by which the body produces antibodies against its own tissues, destroying it).
Like every phenomenon, there must be a cause. Factors disturbing homeostasis are most often: intense and chronic stress, improper sleep hygiene, poor diet, stimulants (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, …), excessive physical exertion, medicines, environmental pollution and many more.
How to diagnose the state of oxidative stress in the body?
We carry out laboratory tests for the presence of markers of inflammation in the blood, e.g. glutathione level, telomere length, marker of oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine), activity of SOD-1 and SOD-2 superoxide dismutase enzymes, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, CRP proteins, OB and many others. Of course, these are just examples of markers of inflammation. Under no circumstances do you have to do every one of these tests 😉
In addition, we can measure the concentration of antibodies, e.g. anti-thyroid antibodies, to check whether an autoimmune disease is no longer occurring.
Factors accelerating telomere shortening – aging of the body
- sugar
- unstable blood glucose and insulin levels
- excessive amount of visceral fat
- processed food
How does stress affect our body? – how to defend or prevent?
The best way is to provide the body with antioxidants from the DIET. The movement is healthy, but you can’t overdo it. As I mentioned before, too intense and too frequent physical activity becomes a factor that increases the level of stress. In addition, in the absence of proper sleep hygiene and rest for the body, it becomes an ideal opportunity for free radicals.
Take care of a properly balanced diet, especially when nutritional deficiencies have arisen (e.g. iron, vitamin D, omega 3 and 6 acids, folates, zinc, selenium, …). It is also worth including probiotic supplementation and consumption of foods that are prebiotics (affecting the development of intestinal microflora), e.g. silage, yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, … A good solution would also be to reduce stimulants or eliminate them altogether FOR HEALTH.