Impact of Stress on Health

Whether stress causes health or disease, tissue deterioration or build-up, depends on the state of mind. When a stressful activity is accompanied by a positive frame of mind and good feeding(eustress), muscle build-up is promoted. When it is accompanied by negative feelings(distress), there is weight loss and if starchy food is eaten alongside(as is often the case), fat is built up, instead. In either case metabolism  increases, but in different ways in each case.

Distress causes free radical  production which promotes further inflammation and eventually organic peroxide production which decreases immunity and impairs mitochondria function, and may lead to cell death. Eustress, on the other hand, leads to nitric oxide production which minimizes the detrimental effects of oxygen free radicals and promotes ATP production, even in low oxygen medium as it dilates blood vessels and supplies nutrients and oxygen. Stress, in general(both distress and eustress),  leads to increased heart rate and blood pressure, increased oxygen uptake, and increased metabolism as revealed by, weight loss, fat lay down for distress, and muscle build-up for eustress. Some inflammation will result from stress of one form or the other.

Autophagy and tissue renewal with growth are promoted by eustress, while distress promotes either apoptosis, which is energy-dependent, programmed cell death(cellular suicide) or necrosis(cytocide or 'cellulocide'), in extreme cases, which is non-energy-dependent.

Non-resolving inflammation will lead to atherosclerosis, and autoimmunity which targets many body proteins and  peptides and causes intensive or extensive tissue damage. Especially, substance P released from nerves will cause blebbing of these nerves. Ischemia promoted by free radicals(produced by re-perfusion excitation)will promote spontaneous nerve firing, causing paraesthesia and epilepsy.

DNA damage will lead to repair, with nutrition and exercise(eustress in sports). Failing this, in distress, telomeres shorten, and repair is impaired; and this may lead to cancer, if apoptosis fails. Then recombination with longer telomeres from normal DNA causes selection and progression of cancer.

Remarkably, nutrition provides plant DNA(absorbed intact) which regulates our own DNA and catalyzes phosphorylation (a highly energy-dependent reaction), the mainstay of enzymatic (biochemical) activity. Nutrition and sports also regulate our DNA through epigenetic methylation.

Our lifestyles play an important role, when we consider our risks of acquiring diseases. Good nutrition and moderate exercise(eustress) are, by far, the best ways to stay healthy, active, youthful; and live a long, good quality life.

Dr. Oliver Verbe Birnso, M.D.

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