Stress and nutrition part 1: the HPA axis, chronic stress & some important nutrients

Stress, in the short term, is not a bad thing – it is our bodies way of protecting us, of helping us to stay alert and focused. It is when it becomes ongoing and chronic that it ceases to be beneficial and starts affecting a whole range of areas from our physical and mental health to our day to day quality of life ie; relationships or productivity…

When was the last time you checked in and observed how you felt, physically, when you were stressed?

• Was your breathing fast?
• Were you sweaty?
• Was your heart beating fast?
• Did you notice your digestion had slowed?
• Did senses like sight feel heightened?

The HPA axis

Short for the ‘Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal’ axis, the HPA axis refers to our stress management system; a mechanism that our body uses to control our stress response via chain of stimulatory hormones and feedback loops involving, in response to a stressful trigger, neurohormone release from the hypothalamus which stimulate the pituitary gland to make and secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which in turn triggers the synthesis and release of glucocorticoids such as cortisol from the adrenal glands, which essentially reside on top of our kidneys.

This release of stress hormones leads to the common physical reactions above – as our sympathetic nervous system gears up to help us survive the perceived threat, we head into fight or flight mode ie; our blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar all need to be increased to allow us to take action to survive…

Fight or flight

One of the two branches of our autonomic nervous system; the sympathetic nervous system is related to a state of survival, or ‘fight or flight’, whilst the parasympathetic nervous system is related to a calmer state of ‘rest and digest’.

When thinking about stress, particularly that ‘fight or flight’ response, and its effect on our bodies, I like to use a caveman analogy and think back to times when being chased by a tiger was a very real danger and if this happened, we needed to either stay and fight, or, most likely, we would take flight…

Our stress hormones would be pumping and our bodies would be in survival mode – funnelling energy to functions required to survive in this scenario ie; dilated pupils to help us see, increased heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and blood pumping to our limbs so we can run!

Things like our digestive, hormonal, immune and reproductive functions aren’t necessarily deemed as important by our bodies during this intense survival situation, so these tend to decrease and/or get upset during this time…

Once we safely escape the tiger and are resting back in our cave (hopefully we haven’t been eaten!!), our parasympathetic nervous system can kick back in and allow us to rest and digest – decreasing things like our heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, and balancing off the effects to our other functions of being in fight or flight.

Chronic/Long-term stress

Nowadays, a lot of us can be in that flight or fight mode constantly, with our bodies producing the same stress hormones and acting in much the same way as if we were fighting or running from that tiger and we may not switch off or switch over to that rest or digest state very often ie; traffic, work stress, home stress – anything we perceive as stress will cause our bodies to act the same way as if we are, in fact running or fighting for our lives…

When there is a chronic activation of the stress response via the HPA axis ie; an over activation of our fear/extinction circuit, it can lead to a dysfunction of the axis and a depletion of nutrients. Ongoing stress can also contribute to a range of symptoms and disorders such as; cardiovascular disease, hypertension and elevated cortisol, IBS, headaches and diabetes.

Dysfunction of the HPA axis can also be associated with an overactive response to psychological stressors, ie; if we are not stopping to slow down & check in with ourselves to really see how we are going, our bodies can think we are just constantly running from that tiger, even if we are really only stuck in heavy traffic, affecting our hormones and neurotransmitters, dialling up the anxiety and leading to that ‘tired but wired’ feeling we can become accustomed to.

Inflammation can also effect the HPA axis and, in an unhappy vice versa scenario, can be increased by an imbalance in the HPA axis, thus creating a bit of a merry-go-round of disruption and anxiety.
Some common causes of inflammation are; chronic virus’s, gut infections, autoimmune disorders, blood sugar imbalances, sleep disturbance and lack of sleep, hormone imbalance (ie; estrogen dominance) and, you guessed it – stress (particularly chronic stress).

Diet and lifestyle

From a dietary perspective, it may sound boring, but eating a balanced diet is the best place to start supporting your body as it copes with the physiological effects of stress – our bodies can use up a lot of nutrients reacting to a stress trigger, as it requires a lot of energy – even if we are just sitting in our car or at our desk!

Whilst it is important to fuel our bodies with a range of nutrients each day, there are some nutrients that are particularly important to keep in mind during stressful periods:

• B vitamins are required in most of the reactions that occur during the stress response and essentially help the body deal with stress. Some dietary sources: Wholegrains, fish, red meat, poultry, leafy greens, dairy, seafood, legumes, nutritional yeast, walnuts, bananas, sunflower seeds, avocados,
• Magnesium is required for over 300 biochemical reactions in our body during our usual day to day functions and tends to be utilised a lot more during stressful times as it is involved in tasks such as heart rhythms, nerve function, blood pressure regulation muscle contraction and relaxation, energy metabolism, DNA synthesis to name a few. It also supports the nervous system and can have a mood stabilisation/stress reduction effect via being involved with neurotransmitter pathways. Some dietary sources: Leafy greens, nuts and seeds, legumes, cacao/dark chocolate, wholegrains, avocado, fatty fish, tofu and tempeh
• Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and being supportive of adrenal function, can help to reduce the amount of cortisol in the body It is also required for the repair, growth and development of all body tissues, is involved in the formation of collagen, absorption of iron, wound healing and supporting the immune system. Some dietary sources: citrus fruits, paw paw, pineapple, tomatoes, capsicum, strawberries, sweet potatoes, guava, broccoli, blackcurrants, parsley.
• Protein plays many important roles in the body such as those involved in tissue growth, maintenance and repair and is also required for the production of enzymes, hormones and some neurotransmitters (ie; serotonin and dopamine) and requirements are increased during stressful times. Some dietary sources: seafood, meat and poultry, eggs, beans and legumes, dairy, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, soy products (go for organic and non-GMO), hemp seeds, nuts

Refer to part 2 of this stress series for some more everyday diet and lifestyle tips and ideas to support you through stressful times.

As always; If you are in need of support in this or another area, I recommend you seek advice from a qualified practitioner, and if you would like to discuss a holistic approach to clinical nutrition based on your individual circumstance and needs I’d love you to get in touch!

Image via Pixabay