Stress- Successful Ageing's Worst Enemy

Stress seems to be endemic, it surfaces just after we wake in the morning, is with us on the daily commute, we endure it during our working day, have to contend with it in our personal and family lives and then it continues to trouble many of us during the night. Often at the detriment of a healthy way of life, it can prematurely age us, both inside and out and reveals itself in high blood pressure, poor sleep patterns, a bad diet and even wrinkles.

Patrick Holford, nutrition expert from the International Institute of Anti-ageing who formulated the Advanced Nutrition Programme says, “Most of us have bad eating habits due to our stressful lifestyles – grabbing fast food on-the-run and sugary snacks do nothing for our health or complexion.” He offers the following tips,   “Eating a healthy diet can add years to our lives while delaying, even preventing, the ageing processes.”

He is keen to see people tackling the debilitating effects of stress by ensuring optimal intakes of all essential nutrients. He notes that, “Key nutrients needed in abundance during stressful times include B vitamins – particularly B5 which supports the adrenal glands and improves the coping mechanism.” He also highlights the importance of Vitamin C. “Vitamin C deficiency can lead to irritability and is a key antioxidant to fight free-radicals which are a by-product of stress. Iron, calcium and magnesium are also essential for brain and nerve function.” What is needed is a good broad spectrum multi-vitamin and mineral because nothing works in isolation; in fact many individual nutrients rely on other ingredients to work properly or to be absorbed efficiently by the body.

There are of course some key messages to remember when trying to decrease the ageing effect of stress.  High consumption of coffee, tea, sugar and chocolate in the short-term may give an immediate boost during the afternoon slump, but in the long-term high stimulant consumption can harm your health. It can also have a detrimental effect on the length and quality of the sleep. You mustn’t forget that chocolate contains caffeine too.

 Patrick advises following a low GL diet (see his book and website) which include eating slow-releasing carbohydrates as well as taking energy nutrients as supplements, for example a good all round choice is Skin Vitality 2 from Advance Nutrition Programme. The newest addition to the Advanced Nutrition Programme’s Skin Range, this multivitamin and mineral complex has been enhanced with a high powered Vitamin C complex, antioxidants (including resveratrol), bioflavonoids and essential fatty acids.

As a base line supplement its formulation is designed to enhance the healthy year, helps the body to tackle stress and promotes healthy skin, hair and nails.

Diet and supplementation is not the only way to beat stress and to halt the ageing process. According to Professor Wayne Derman, fitness expert with the iiaa, “Exercise increases memory and creativity and decreases anxiety and depression.” So far; so good.   He goes on to state that, “There is presently mounting data to suggest that specific forms of exercise training, in appropriate doses (duration, frequency and intensity) can retard and in some cases even reverse the ageing changes in the body.”

Everyone knows that exercise is good for the body and rarely do we get enough. Exercise can help by providing an outlet for negative emotions such as worry, irritability, depression, hostility, anger, frustration, and anxiety. You can dissipate these feelings by simply taking it out on the tennis court, by running, rowing, or punching a bag. Professor Derman highlights the importance of regular exercise, saying that, “It provides the opportunity to manage the fight or flight response and helps the body to return to a balanced state more quickly.”

He backs up his thoughts with the results of a cross-sectional population study in Finland of ‘Physical Exercise and Psychological Well-Being’ which showed that individuals who exercised at least two to three times a week experienced significantly less depression, anger and stress than those exercising less frequently or not at all. Conversely from an anti-ageing point of view regular exercise shows many advantages in the skin. Improved circulation increases microcirculation and helps deliver oxygen and nutrients whilst transporting toxins away from the deeper layers of the skin. Furthermore, by reducing stress, exercise tends to quiet the adrenal glands which produce stress hormones that may be the underlying cause of acne flare up.

Advance Nutrition Programme Skin Vitality 2
Price: £29.95
Ph: 020 8830 8030
www.advancednutritionprogramme.com