Not everyone is overweight, has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol but… everyone is exposed to stress. No matter your age, who you are or what you do, when stress is chronic (constant and persists over an extended period of time) such as work problems, family conflicts, relationship issues, daily traffic, major life changes, or any response to daily stressors that are ignored or poorly managed– stress becomes a primary threat to your health and your life expectancy.
HOW DOES STRESS WREAK HAVOC ON YOUR BODY?
Ongoing stress and elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol can seriously harm your brain, rob your memory, your health, your quality of life and your future. Stress does its damage at the cellular level.
Each and every day, our body creates over two trillion new cells to replace older, less efficient cells, so that our body can continue to work efficiently and protect our health. That’s one million new cells every second.
The DNA in our genes gives our body the genetic blue print dictating how and when to create these trillions of new replacement cells and these genes are located on organelles called chromosomes. The process of creating new cells that are identical to the older ones they are replacing is one that get’s less efficient as we age and is in fact one of the reasons we look different as we age.
These chromosomes have protective tips on their ends, called telomeres that protect the strands of genetic material they contain from fraying (similar to how the plastic cap at the end of a shoelace protects the shoe lace from fraying). Telomeres are an essential part of human cells that affect how our cells age. Research has shown that the shorter your telomeres, the shorter your expected life span. Furthermore, the shorter your telomeres are, the greater your risk for most diseases. Most importantly… STRESS AND THE STRESS HORMONE CORTISOL SHORTEN YOUR TELOMERES! It does this by decreasing the activity of “telomerase” an enzyme that protects the telomeres, the protective tips of each of the form arms of a chromosome.
POWERFUL INGREDIENTS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE RAVAGING EFFECTS OF STRESS ON YOUR HEALTH AND ON YOUR BRAIN.
To avoid serious diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer and premature death, you must protect the length of your telomeres by controlling stress and the stress hormone cortisol. In previous articles, I discussed how stress can also negatively affect the structure of your brain, your cognitive function and your memory. This can happen in college students as well as middle aged and older adults. I would like to share 4 powerful ingredients that can protect you from the effects of stress and cortisol on your telomere lengths, and protect your brain, memory and your life expectancy.
One or two of these ingredients can reduce high cortisol levels by close to 30%. Another of the ingredients is a powerful antioxidant that can specifically prevent free radical which via oxidative stress can damage your telomeres. Another of the ingredients can significantly increase brain blood flow which decreases as we age, thereby bringing healthy levels of oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Several of these ingredients have been shown to flat out increase memory, learning speed and fact recall in both healthy people and people suffering from dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease.
INGREDIENT#1 – Ashwagandha standardized extract. – This is a revered medicine amongst ayurvedic physicians and has been shown in multiple human studies to reduce high cortisol levels by close to 30%. These studies also show that ashwagandha reduces the perception of being stressed by 44% and anxiety and insomnia by 68%. Patients also reported significant improvement in their self-assed quality of life!
INGREDIENT#2 – Bacopa Monnieri standardize extract – This another very important herbal extract used by ayurvedic physicians. Once again multiple human studies have shown that bacopa monnieri improves memory/fact recall. and loss of focus. It’s powerful antioxidant benefits reduce the brain inflammation that is associated with cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
INGREDIENT#3 – Vinpocetine – Derived from the periwinkle plant, vinpocetine has been shown to increase the flow of blood to the brain which decreases as we age and contributes to cognitive decline and dementia. Patients taking vinpocetine who had experienced mild cognitive decline and decrease memory function significantly improved on the gold-standard tests used by neurologists to measure these things. IN addition, there mood and activities of daily living testing improved.
INGREDIENT #4 – Huperzine-A – Derived from Chinese clubmoss, Huperzine-A has been shown to prevent the breakdown of acetycholine which is a crucial brain neurotransmitter that allows brain cells called neurons to communicate with one and other. Huperzine is so effective that it actually improved the test results of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and though it’s a dietary supplement in the U.S. it’s listed as an anti-Alzheimer’s drug in China. Huperzine-A protect brain cells against injury from stress, inflammation and free radicals.
These 4 powerful and proven ingredients, can collectively protect against stress caused telomere shortening which can decrease your life-expectancy as well as protect your brain, cognitive function and enhance your memory, now and as you age. These ingredients are safe and have little or no side-effects.
To learn how to access these ingredients in the correct forms and dosages, visit BrainIngredients.com.
To the Best of Health,
Curt Hendrix, M.S., C.C.N., C.N.S.
Chief Scientific Officer, Akeso Health Sciences
Related Links:
Study: Accelerated Telomere Erosion Is Associated with a Declining Immune Function of Caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients
Study: Telomere Length and Cortisol Reactivity in Children of Depressed Mothers