Study Shows Damaging Effects Of Comfort Food

Staying away from these kinds of foods will improve your health.

When stress hits, do you find solace in high-fat comfort foods like ice cream or potato chips? Researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK suggest you might want to reconsider.

Their study, published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, delves into how consuming fatty foods before stressful events might harm endothelial function.

The endothelium, a crucial lining within blood vessels, regulates vessel constriction and relaxation, manages fluid and molecule movement, and is pivotal for tissue health. When its function is compromised, it elevates the risk of cardiovascular issues like clogged arteries and high blood pressure.

Stress is known to temporarily impair endothelial function, typically lasting 15 to 90 minutes post-stress in healthy young adults. Moreover, studies show that stressed individuals tend to indulge in fatty and sugary foods, further impacting blood vessel health.

To explore this connection, researchers engaged 21 healthy volunteers, evenly split between genders. They were served a high-fat breakfast of two butter croissants before an eight-minute mental stress test involving rapid mental math challenges, simulating daily stress.

Using “flow-mediated dilatation,” researchers assessed the participants’ vascular function by measuring arm artery blood flow. Results showed that consuming fatty foods during stress led to a 1.74% reduction in vascular function, compared to a 1.18% reduction post a low-fat meal during the test.

Even a 1% decline in function has been linked to a 13% rise in cardiovascular disease risk, indicating the significance of these findings. What’s more, the vascular function remained impaired up to 90 minutes post-stress among those who consumed high-fat meals.

In a press release, the researchers highlighted that high-fat eating negatively affected oxygen levels in the pre-frontal cortex, responsible for higher cognitive processes. Those who consumed fatty meals experienced a 39% reduction in oxygenated hemoglobin compared to the low-fat meal group.

Kelsey Costa, MS, RDN, a nutrition consultant for the National Coalition on Healthcare, emphasized that high-fat foods during stress might delay the body’s healing processes, particularly endothelium function, impacting the vascular health of otherwise healthy individuals.

While the exact mechanism remains unclear, researchers speculate that increased triglycerides and C-reactive protein post-fat consumption could contribute. Elevated levels of these elements might directly or indirectly harm blood vessels by elevating oxidative stress or reducing nitric oxide production.

Costa underscored the need for further research into these mechanisms and the impact of fat on vascular responses during stress.

This study underscores the potential adverse effects of stress-induced high-fat eating on endothelial function. Experts suggest that plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, along with omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics, might protect vascular health, offering healthier alternatives to combat stress.