A recent study has associated high levels of job strain to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The findings of a research study submitted to the Scientific Sessions 2010 of the American Heart Association revealed that women who conveyed having higher levels of job strain possess a 40 percent higher risk for the development of heart diseases such as heart attack.  Their risk of undergoing surgical procedures in order to unblock clogged arteries is also higher. This is in contrast to women who reported to have lower levels of job strain. Furthermore, researchers said that insecurity in one’s job, or the dread of losing a job, was linked to cardiovascular diseases risk factors which include being overweight, increased cholesterol levels and being hypertensive (high blood pressure).  However, they emphasized that it does not have a direct association with cardiovascular death, invasive procedures performed on the heart, stroke and heart attacks.

Job strain is a psychological stressor wherein a person is said to have an unusually demanding job but that does not give her the authority to make decisions, or does not provide opportunities for her to showcase her creativity and skills.

According to the senior author of the study, Dr. Michelle A. Albert, M.P.H, the results of the study shows that there exists clinically documented immediate, as well as long term, consequences of job strain to a person’s heart health, especially in women. She stated that a person’s job as the capability to negatively or positively affect health.  Therefore, people should start paying more attention to the pressures of their job and make it a part of their complete health package.  Dr. Albert is also an associate physician at Boston, Massachusetts’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

17,415 women took part in the momentous Women’s Health Study where researchers did an analysis on job strain.  The women who provided information were healthy health professionals, had a mean age of 57 years and primarily of Caucasian descent. Information regarding their job insecurity, job strain and risk factors of heart disease were asked from them.  A 10-year monitoring period was imposed in order to determine the occurrence of heart disease.  Utilizing standard questionnaire, the researchers assessed job insecurity and job strain.

For women who conveyed high job strain, there was a 40 percent higher risk for balloon angioplasty, coronary artery bypass surgery, ischemic strokes, heart attacks and death. The increased in the risk of a heart attack was up by 88 percent, and a 43 percent risk of invasive procedure or bypass surgery was seen.

Women who were in jobs that gave them low control and high demands had greater risk for developing cardiovascular disease long term.  The same is true for women with jobs that have a high sense of control and with high demands.  This is according to Natalie Slopen, Sc.D.  She is the head researcher as well as a fellow of postdoctoral research of Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child located in Boston.

Earlier research studies regarding job strain and its effects have been concentrated on men and cardiovascular conditions were somewhat restricted.  Dr. Albert said that it is important for employers, hospital and government entities, and potential patients to keep track of apparent job strain in employees and to begin programs that helps ease job strain and maybe positively impact cardiovascular diseases prevention.

What is Stress?

Stress is a fact of life.  These are external forces that affect the individual and she responds in different ways that ultimately affects her and her environment.  There is a relationship between the person and all that surrounds her – nature, work, family, friends, etc. Examples of external factors include:

• Day-to-day circumstances
• Difficult times
• Everyday challenges
• Home life
• Relationship with other people
• Job
• Physical Environment

But there are internal factors too, and these can determine the body’s capability to deal with, and respond to, external stressors.  This would encompass:

• Quality of rest and sleep
• Emotional well-being
• Fitness level
• General health
• Nutritional status

The Dangers of Stress

Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a psychologist, and Ronald Glaser, an immunologist and virologist, both from the Ohio State University, conducted a study as to the effects of stress in a person’s immune system. They discovered that stress suppresses the function of the immune system, making the person more prone to infections. Their study revealed that stress triggered the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, substances that initiate inflammatory reactions.  Once it becomes chronic, it seriously disrupts the body’s capability to heal wounds and fight infection – and it increases a person’s risk for developing various conditions such as type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease, among others.

Natural Ways to Reduce Stress

• Set aside a time for peace and quiet, preferably in the morning.  You may choose to do yoga, to meditate, or to pray – basically anything that would allow you to find a place of solitude, even for just a few minutes a day.  This will help you attain the right frame of mind in order to go through another stress-filled day.
• Exercise can give you a boost and reduce stress.  It releases endorphins – feel good hormones – which would help alleviate stress.
• Reduce your intake of alcohol, caffeine, carbohydrates and sugar.  Too many carbohydrates will overload your body with sugar.  This depletes vitamin B in our bodies, which is important in maintaining the health of the nervous system.
• Make use of herbs to calm yourself.  A cup of chamomile tea before bedtime will help you relax; ginseng has been known to enhance the body’s resistance to stress.

30 Stress Relievers

1. Wake up early
2. Wear comfortable clothes
3. Write things down
4. Choose your friends – avoid negative people
5. Make copies of important documents
6. Have a spare key
7. Learn to say “no”
8. Be generous with praise, even to yourself
9. Listen more, talk less
10. Get enough sleep
11. Remember that you always have a choice
12. Smile more often
13. Develop a good sense of humour
14. Strive for excellence, but not perfection
15. Have a good support system
16. Do something new
17. Say goodbye to a bad habit
18. Read
19. Set goals
20. Believe in yourself
21. Have faith in the goodness of other people
22. Recognize that you cannot do everything by yourself – ask for help
23. Accept help
24. Make good use of your time
25. Apologize
26. Ask for directions
27. Keep in mind that it’s okay to cry sometimes
28. Spend time with children
29. Pay your bills on time
30. Breathe

Sources
eurekalert.org
medicinenet.co
scientificamerican.com

Dark chocolate connoisseurs, rejoice: It can help relieve emotional distress.

Comfort foods are the oases people turn to for stress relief.  This is OK every once in a while, but not regularly, because comfort foods are more often than not nutritional lightweights.  But that generalization doesn’t apply to chocolate, in particular dark chocolate.  Dark chocolate can—in fact, should—be eaten regularly.  Because according to a recent study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, dark chocolate is not only good for you physically but it’s good for you mentally, because it can help relieve high levels of emotional stress.

Researchers followed the effects of “choco-chomping” among participants that ate about 1.2 ounces of dark chocolate per day for two weeks.  The analysis involved the identification of stress hormones in the body and whether these stress hormones increased, decreased, or remained the same over those two weeks.

To the researchers delight, they found that their stress hormones reduced.  The stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline and normetanephrine all dropped, and this was identified through urine and blood samples that were collected before and after the 14-day study.

This is the first scientific study to link stress reduction to dark chocolate consumption.  Past studies have linked dark chocolate consumption to other positive health effects, like reducing the risk of developing heart disease by improving arterial blood flow.

So, will any old dark chocolate do?  Hardly.  You want to be looking for chocolate varieties that are highest in antioxidants, or the dark chocolates that have a high cacao percentage.  The higher the percentage, the higher the antioxidant content.  Shoot for any bar that has a cacao content higher than 70 percent (bear in mind that the higher the percentage, the more bitter it is in taste).

As far as amounts go, the amount used in this study was 1.2 ounces or 42 grams.  That’s a little bit less than a full-sized Hershey’s candy bar (the average Hershey’s candy bar is 1.55 ounces)!  Not even the researchers suggest eating a full-sized candy bar to alleviate stress levels.  To keep weight levels in check and still improve stress levels, go for about one-sixth of 42 grams, or 6.7 ounces per day.  Simply chop up the full-sized bar into sixths.

Finally, “cocoa” is not the same as “cacao.”  They’re often used interchangeably, but they’re actually quite different.  “Cacao” refers to the entire cacao bean that’s used in the bar’s production.  All the good stuff, in other words.  “Cocoa” refers to the powder only.  The powder is all the good tasting stuff, but it lacks the other elements that make chocolate so good for you.  It’s sort of like the difference between whole grain and whole wheat.

So, if possible, look for bars that have a high cacao content rather than cocoa content.  If you’re unsure of whether the bar was produced with cacao or cocoa (U.S. regulations allow chocolate producers to use either term, which explains why so many people are confused by the terms), get in touch with the manufacturer.  Their contact information should be written on the bar’s package.

Sources:
sciencedaily.com
examiner.com
worldsfinestchocolate.com

Responsible parents’ primary concern is the health and well-being of their children. Usually, the health of parents’ children—both mental and physical—is contingent upon the manner in which they conduct their lives when it comes to the things they put into their bodies and the people they surround themselves with. But there’s a new body of evidence from the science world suggesting that the mental health of parents has just as much of an impact on them as it does on their children.

All of us are burdened by stress.  Stress isn’t always a bad thing.  In fact, some stress is a good thing (it’s called eustress).  But the meaning we typically associate with stress – the kind you feel when a crucial deadline needs to be met at work and you worry about the ramifications if you miss it, that kind – is a leading cause for illness in the workplace.  In fact, according to the Health and Safety Commission, a third of all ill health incidents reported at the workplace are attributable to stress, and an estimated 13.8 million work days were lost in 2006 due to stress.  That kind of number corroborates survey findings indicating that stress causes more work absences than the common cold.

Just as common colds are easily spread, apparently, so is stress.  Recently published in the New Scientist magazine, researchers observed 120 families and asked the parents of the families to keep a journal of their kids’ illnesses over the course of three years.  In addition to keeping track of their kids’ bouts of sickness – all of whom were between the ages of 5 and 10 – parents were also asked to fill out questionnaires every six months about their own mental health, as well any incidents of family conflict.

Almost uniformly, researchers found a correlation between the number of times children got sick and the level of anxiety parents felt.  In short, the more stressed parents were, the more sick kids were.

Regarding the findings, researchers said this should help the scientific community better understand “the biological impact…of chronic stress in families on specific immune functions in a sample of generally healthy children.”  The findings are published in the most recent edition of the journal Brain Behavior and Immunity.

It’s so important to relax, take a deep breath and try to convince yourself that things will be all right.  This isn’t such an easy thing, though – talking yourself into relaxing.  To help yourself relax, try meditation and exercise.  Exercise is an especially great way of lowering stress levels as it increases blood flow to the brain and helps get your mind off of everyday stressors.

There are also a number of things you can eat to help reduce stress.  The best foods are ones rich in vitamins like B complex (e.g. leafy green vegetables and fresh fish like snapper) and minerals like selenium (e.g. mushrooms and fresh fish like snapper or salmon) and manganese (e.g. spinach, raspberries and pineapple).

A healthy family is a stress-free family.  Though the stresses in life are impossible to avoid, with a little effort (and some deep breaths), we can reduce the impact stress has on our families’ well-being.