Dear Subscriber,
How’s it going?
Did you have a great Weekend?
Hopefully you had a chance to
relax and “let your hair down.”
With Christmas now around the corner,
things can get pretty stressful… especially
if you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet.
So much to plan… plenty to do… figuring out what
gifts to get… the list goes on and on.
My advice: Take it easy and try not to stress so much.
Focus on getting through one day at a time.
That, and make sure you read every word of today’s article!
Yours For Health,
Shane Shiels
Shashido Enterprises
Adelaide’s Premier Health & Fitness Expert
How Your Hair Can Predict Your Heart’s Future Health…
This might sound a little crazy…
But recent research has found that your HAIR
can actually predict whether or not your heart
is headed for disaster.
Let me explain…
We all know that stress is bad for us. And during
times of stress, our bodies release cortisol
(the “stress” hormone).
Now, cortisol is a bit funny. That’s because too
little of it is bad for you. Yet, too much is also
VERY bad.
Unfortunately, because of our busy lives and the
way our society is structured, it can be hard NOT
to feel stressed out all the time.
This is not good at ALL for your health.
Chronic stress has been linked to numerous
health problems including heart attack and stroke.
That’s why researchers at The University of
Western Ontario set out to discover a way to
measure your “accumulated” stress levels…
as a way to predict a future event, like heart attack.
Currently, you CAN get your stress (cortisol)
levels checked. The only problem is that it only
represents your cortisol levels on the day of testing.
This means you can’t see how much TOTAL stress
you’ve been under, say, in the last 3 months.
That’s why this research is so exciting.
For this study, published in the journal Stress,
researchers recruited 112 participants who were
already hospitalised.
56 of the subjects were in the hospital due to
heart attack.
56 of subjects in the control group were hospitalized
for reasons other than heart attack.
The researchers then collected a 3cm-long hair
sample from everyone in each group. Cortisol
levels in the hair were then measured.
The study accounted for known heart-attack risk
factors (i.e. diabetes, high-cholesterol, triglycerides, etc)
in all the subjects. Despite this, accumulated cortisol levels
in the hair emerged as the strongest predictor of heart attack. [1]
“Intuitively we know stress is not good for you,
but it’s not easy to measure. We know that on average,
hair grows one centimetre (cm) a month, and so if we
take a hair sample six cm long, we can determine stress
levels for six months by measuring the cortisol level in
the hair, ” explained Dr. Gideon Koren, one of the senior
researchers involved in the study.
He added, “Stress is a serious part of modern life affecting
many areas of health and life. This study has implications
for research and for practice, as stress can be managed
with lifestyle changes…”
Pretty interesting, huh?
The moral of the story: Do whatever you can on a
regular basis to reduce your stress levels.
Your health (and your heart) will thank you.
The first thing in ANY stress-reduction program is to
exercise. It’s a great stress-reliever.
Once you’ve got that down, here are a few more
things that can help:
Vitamin C: In addition to being a great
immune system booster, it turns out vitamin C
can also help reduce your cortisol levels. One
study published in the journal Psychopharmacology
recruited 120 volunteers who were subjected to the
Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). It’s a test commonly
used to measure psychological stress. Those who took
vitamin C had lower blood pressure, less subjective stress,
and decreased cortisol levels than the placebo group. [2]
Breathe: Deep breathing is very effective at calming you
down and lowering your heart rate and blood pressure.
Whenever you’re feeling anxious or totally stressed, take a
few minutes to breathe. Make sure you inhale deeply,
into your belly. Then hold it for a second or two. Then
slowly exhale. Do this 5-10 times and you’ll immediately
start to feel calmer.
Fish Oil: This amazing nutrient seems to do it all…
protect your heart, your brain, reduce inflammation,
and on and on… But one interesting 2003 study also
found that as little as 7-8 grams of fish oil daily can be
effective at reducing high cortisol levels due to mental stress. [3]
So there you have it.
With what’s left of the holiday season, make sure to
take a few minutes each day to “stop and smell the roses.”
Being stressed out all the time is not good for you.
So it’s absolutely critical that you make de-stressing a
priority in your life.
And by the way … if you’re serious about taking
your health and fitness to the next level for this
coming New Year, why not take advantage of your
FREE Fitness Consultation? (an $87 value)
During this consult, you’ll receive detailed information on
how to get fit and trim that’s tailored to YOUR body.
There’s no obligation and it’s totally and completely free.
References:
1. David Pereg, Rachel Gow, Morris Mosseri, Michael Lishner,
Michael Rieder, Stan Van Uum, Gideon Koren. Hair
cortisol and the risk for acute myocardial infarction in
adult men. Stress The International Journal on the
Biology of Stress, 2010; 100902220954013
DOI: 10.3109/10253890.2010.511352
2. Brody S, Preut R, Schommer K, Schurmeyer TH.
A randomized controlled trial of high dose ascorbic acid
for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective
responses to psychological stress. Psychopharmacology
(Berl). 2002 Jan;159(3):319-24.
3. Delarue J, Matzinger O, Binnert C, Schneeiter P,
Chiolero P, Tappy L. Fish oil prevents the adrenal
activation elicited by mental stress in healthy men.
Diabetes Metab. 2003 Jun;29(3):289-95.
Quote Corner
“Unless you’re willing to have a go, fail miserably,
and have another go, success won’t happen.” – Phillip Adams
Eat Yourself Thin
Lean Steak and Mushroom Salad
(Serves Four)
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash Original Blend
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
340 grams boneless sirloin steak (2 inches thick),
well trimmed
220 grams fresh mushrooms,
cleaned and sliced
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1. Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil,
white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, lemon juice
and Worcestershire sauce, set aside.
2. Season both sides of steak with Mrs.
Dash Original Blend. Cook steak on preheated grill or
skillet, until medium rare or desired doneness is reached,
about 4-5 minutes per side. Slice into 1/4 in. thick slices.
3. Place mushrooms, green onions and fresh
parsley in large bowl.
4. Add steak to mushroom mixture and toss with dressing.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes and serve immediately.
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Ready: 20 mins
Amount Per Serving – Calories: 167 / Total Fat: 8.6g /
Cholesterol: 37mg / Sodium: 118mg / Total Carbs: 5.7g /
Dietary Fiber: 1.4g / Protein: 17.1g
Recipe from AllRecipes.com.
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