A curious effect of “comfort” food on the body’s recovery from stress has been revealed.

Named foods to prevent vascular dysfunction

Comfort eating may impair the body's recovery from stress, a new study shows. Researchers have found that eating fatty and other unhealthy foods for comfort reduces vascular function and increases the risk of heart disease.

Photo: Global Look Press

Using fatty comfort foods during stress may impair the body's recovery from pressure, research suggests.

According to The Guardian, many people turn to unhealthy foods such as chocolate or crisps when they feel stressed, but researchers have found that this can reduce blood flow to the brain and lead to poor vascular function, which in turn can have a negative impact. on mental health and cognitive function, and increase the risk of heart disease.

Researchers suggest that health-conscious people are resisting the temptation of convenient treats by snacking on fruits and vegetables instead.

Professor Jet Veldhuijzen van Zanten says: “For this study, we looked at healthy people aged 18 to 30 and saw such a significant difference in how their bodies recovered from stress when they ate fatty foods. , that it is stunning”.

“For people who already have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the consequences may be even more severe, – continues the expert. – We all deal with stress all the time, but especially for those of us who work in high-stress environments and are at risk for cardiovascular disease, these findings should be taken seriously. This research can help us make decisions that reduce risks rather than make them worse.

The study involved a group of healthy young adults who were given two buttered croissants for breakfast. Participants were then asked to do mental math, increasing their speed over eight minutes, and were warned when they got an answer wrong. They could also see themselves on the screen.

Researchers found that consuming fatty foods during mental stress reduced vascular function by 1.74%. Previous studies have shown that just a 1% decrease in vascular function leads to a 13% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease.

“The experiment was designed to simulate the everyday stress that we might have to face in life. work or at home. When we experience stress, different things happen in the body: heart rate and blood pressure increase, blood vessels dilate, and blood flow to the brain increases. We also know that the elasticity of our blood vessels, which is an indicator of vascular function, decreases after mental stress, – says study first author Rosalind Baynham from the University of Birmingham.

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition and Nutrients, also found that eating healthier foods, especially those rich in polyphenols, such as cocoa, berries, grapes, apples and other fruits and vegetables, may prevent vascular dysfunction.