Stress, Aging and Your Metabolism Is your coffee habit making you old before your time?

Stress is a normal part of life—especially in this day and age. It’s as if there is no shut off switch for incoming demands on your precious time. Seriously, how many of you find yourself checking e-mails at ungodly hours? Even our precious “so-called” down time is consumed by our constant availability by electronic means.

Everyone deals with stress in a slightly different manner. At the end of the day, all that matters is how you perceive the things around you, as perception always equals reality in the face of stress. In other words, when we go, go, go without enough downtime, or we constantly worry about things—most of which (thankfully) will never materialize—we create an unfavorable stress response that can actually rob us of our youth.

When your body perceives stress it releases specialized hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) as well as neurotransmitters (norepinephrine and dopamine) that help you deal with the stress until it subsides. This served your ancestors well going back thousands of years ago when they actually needed to fight or flee for their lives. Even though stress is a necessary part of your body’s defense system, the chemicals it produces can easily ware your body down if used continuously.

Almost anyone would agree that chronic stress ages people. The fact remains that until recently longevity scientists could only theorize as to why. The majority of our cells have a finite number of times they are able to divide. Every time these cells divide, they lose a small piece of DNA called a telomere. It is believed that the shortening of these telomeres is largely responsible for the aging process. In 2004, University of California researchers discovered that women who experienced the highest levels of perceived stress have telomeres that are much shorter than women who experience low stress. The researches concluded that these shortened telomeres were equivalent to at least one decade of additional aging.

Our hectic lifestyles and constant worrying are far from the only culprits when it comes to stress. The majority of people today unwittingly aggravate their stress response by consuming too many caffeinated beverages—especially coffee.

The type of caffeine found in coffee has been shown to elevate stress hormones —over and above the body’s natural response—for many hours after consumption. Researchers from Duke University published a study in 2002, showing that the stress hormones elevated by daily (moderate) caffeine consumption caused blood pressure elevations and increases in stress reactivity that could contribute to an increased risk of coronary heart disease in the adult population.

One of the biggest culprits in premature aging can be witnessed in the constant rise of the powerful stress hormone cortisol. Elevated cortisol can impede a healthy metabolism by degrading muscle tissue (the metabolic engine of the body) and according to research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, loss of lean body mass (i.e. muscle) is the number one reason we prematurely age. As indicated, too much caffeine can over stimulate cortisol, possibly contributing to muscle wasting.

As you are now aware, excess stress can easily speed the aging process and in turn make you fat. Since most individuals these days are susceptible to high levels of stress, it would be wise to at least lower your consumption of unhealthy caffeine containing beverages.

Aside from drinking less coffee, nature has also provided us with supplemental options (referred to as recuperatives and adaptogens) that can significantly help strengthen our bodies against the negative affects of stress. The MetaboWize PM formula contains a powerful combination of these nutrients also ACT Energy Drink.


Thanks
Jeremy Hawkins

References

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Lane JD, et al. Caffeine affects cardiovascular and neuroendocrine activation at work and home.
Psychosom Med. 2002 Jul-Aug;64(4):595-603.

Ravaglia G. Determinants of functional status in healthy Italian nonagenarians and centenarians: a comprehensive functional assessment by the instruments of geriatric practice. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1997 Oct;45(10):1196-202.