JAMIESON EXPERTISE

Fight Fall Stress!

Sep 9, 2011     Posted by: Michelle E. Latinsky BASc., RD

With the relaxing days of summer behind us, the looming stress of getting back into our fall routines can be daunting. Whether it’s back to full time work hours or getting the kids ready for school, fall is a busy time of year that can increase your stress levels.
 
Many of us associate stress with anxiety, which causes a pounding heart, sweaty palms and butterflies in your stomach. In fact, it is the long-term effects of stress that you should worry about. They range from fatigue, chronic depression and moodiness to digestive problems and a weakened immune system that increases your risk of chronic disease. And with cold and flu season around the corner, a weakened immune system can compromise your ability to fight off infection.
 
Back-to-school season marks the beginning of extracurricular sports and activities for your family, leading to busy schedules that might put proper nutrition and meal planning on the back burner. Eating-on-the-go, eating processed or fast foods, or eating late at night can disrupt the proper functioning of your digestive system. Additionally, increased stress levels can lead to the depletion of good bacteria in your digestive tract, and in fact, stress may actually increase production of bad bacteria. Without a healthy digestive system, your body is not as well equipped to deal with stress and fight off infection.     
 
Probiotics to the Rescue!

Stress, however, depletes these natural allies, as does antibiotic therapy, travel, poor diet or any dramatic upset in routine. When that happens, a premium supplement can replenish probiotic levels for adults and kids alike. Make it part of your daily routine.

Jamieson’s Probiotic Sticks is the first probiotics solution to show an improvement of physical (gastrointestinal) symptoms related to chronic stress. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the journal Nutrition Research, researchers gave half of the 64 volunteers Probiotic Sticks, while the other half received a placebo over a three-week period. Those in the Probiotic Sticks group experienced a significant reduction in two stress-related GI symptoms - abdominal pain and nausea/vomiting, compared to those taking a placebo.
 
Jamieson Probiotic Sticks are a fun and easy way for both children and adults to get their probiotics every day. Probiotics Sticks are a pencil-thin sachet that contains delicious natural plum-flavoured granules that dissolve directly on your tongue. Each sachet contains one billion active, “gastro-protected” probiotic cells. Gastro-protection means that those one billion cells are guaranteed to be effective. Contrary to what some advertising suggests, many formulas that promise “billions” of probiotic cells don’t guarantee their effectiveness. The human digestive system is a highly acidic environment that can destroy most probiotic cells before they can do any good. But gastro-protection technology means that the one billion active cells in Probiotic Sticks will survive passage through the stomach to the intestine, adhere to its walls and multiply (unlike most other probiotic formulas, including yogurt!) When probiotics go to work in your lower intestine, that’s when you will feel the health benefits. Probiotic Sticks are also shelf stable, which means they don’t need refrigeration, so you can carry them in a purse, backpack or lunch bag.
 
How does a healthy digestive tract prevent illness?
 
More than 400 species of bacteria live in your digestive system and the good ones are known as probiotics. Their role is to keep your intestinal tract healthy. Probiotic cultures work in many ways. First, they help breakdown, absorb and digest nutrients from food, all of which contribute to overall health and energy. In addition, probiotics produce antibodies that account for nearly one-third of our immunity andthey increase the production of anti-viral cells that fight infection. A healthy bowel presents a natural barrier against “bad” bacteria, toxins and foreign bodies entering the bloodstream and probiotics help to constantly repair the lining of the bowel.
 
Stress, however, depletes these natural allies, as does antibiotic therapy, travel, poor diet or any dramatic upset in routine. When that happens, a premium supplement can replenish probiotic levels for adults and kids alike. Make it part of your daily routine.
 
A healthy digestive system may also prevent the common cold and flu. In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, researchers monitored 479 healthy adults to determine the effect of long-term probiotic use on viral respiratory-tract infections, such as colds and flu. The subjects were divided into two groups and supplemented with vitamins, minerals and probiotics (L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium ) or vitamins and minerals alone for two winter and spring periods of three and five months, respectively. At the end of the study, the researchers found that participants who took the probiotic supplements experienced colds of a shorter duration and had a reduction in the severity of symptoms compared to participants who did not receive probiotics.
 
Probiotic are an important preventive tool — like a nutritious diet, exercise, rest and good hygiene — in keeping you and your family healthy and stress free this fall.
 
Eat a healthy diet with plenty of mood-enhancing foods.
 
Carbohydrate-rich foods have a soothing effect on the body because they help enhance serotonin levels, the “feel-good” hormone. Try a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low fat milk or soup with brown rice to help your body cope when you’re stressed out. Be sure to consume “good” carbs — the kind found in whole-grain pasta and bread or fruit — rather than the “bad” carbs found in candy, cake and sugary beverages. 

Carbohydrate-rich foods have a soothing effect on the body because they help enhance serotonin levels, the “feel-good” hormone.  

Fish is also an excellent mood food because it contains omega-3 essential fatty acids that help balance emotions. Aim for two servings per week of fatty fish or take a purified fish oil supplement, such as Jamieson Omega-3 Calm, to help soothe your stress away.
 
Stress also depletes essential nutrients, particularly the water-soluble B vitamins and that can lead to fatigue and reduced viral resistance. Jamieson’s Timed Release B 100 Complex is a balanced, superior-strength formula that contains the eight essential B vitamins. The timed-release technology lets the body gradually absorb the nutrients over 6 to 8 hours.
 
Stress affects everyone differently, but a few simple lifestyle changes can have a positive impact. Learning how to manage your stress is one of the best investments you can make in your health. By upping your intake of “mood foods” and taking the right supplements in combination with exercise, a good night’s rest and various relaxation techniques, you’ll be well on your way to reducing stress for a much healthier fall season.  
 
References
Diop L, Guillou S & Durand H (2008). Probiotic food supplement reduces stress-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in volunteers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Nutr Research, 28: 1-5.
 
Leyer GJ, Li S, Mubasher ME, Reifer C & Ouwehand AC. Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children. Pediatrics, 2009 Aug; 124(2): 172-9.