Our careers may be focused on wellness but that doesn’t make us immune to the negative health impact of chronic stress. April is Stress Awareness Month, an important reminder to assess how well you’re doing at managing the pressures in your life. Make sure to keep reading for our good news tips!
Why it’s essential to manage your stress
Long-term, chronic stress is linked to an increased risk of serious health conditions including high blood pressure.1 Unlike temporary stress, where your heart rate increases and blood vessels constrict but both return to normal once the situation resolves, when we experience constant chronic stress our bodies stay in high gear.2 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke and heart disease.3 In fact, healthy blood pressure is a key indicator of heart and brain health.
What stressed-out job performance may look like
While some people agree that a little stress is a good motivator, studies of employees in careers ranging from banking to military personnel have found that stress reduces productivity and job satisfaction. It’s also linked to depression.2
This is your heart and your brain on stress
While about 70 percent of doctor visits and 80 percent of serious illnesses may be linked to or exacerbated by stress, we at Polyphenolics are focused on the effect that high blood pressure has on two of your most important organs: your heart and brain.2
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Heart: The exact relationship between stress and heart attack is still unclear, but evidence is mounting that one exists. A recent study of 200,000 European employees found that people who have stressful jobs and little decision-making power at work are 23% more likely to have a first heart attack than people with less job-related stress.4
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Brain: The national REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, which involved nearly 20,000 people age 45 and older who had never had a stroke or heart disease, linked stress to an increased risk of stroke.5
In another study, it was concluded that having a stressful major life event in the past year quadrupled the risk of stroke.6 One theory is that these increased risks are due to stress-related high blood pressure and/or narrowing of the arteries (known as atherosclerosis).2
Good news about MegaNatural®-BP!
The good news is that there is much you can do to reduce the impact of stress on your body, as mentioned in these two articles: “7 ways to keep stress – and blood pressure – down” and 10 Ways to Celebrate National Stress Awareness Month.7, 8 You may also choose to include a supplement containing MegaNatural®-BP grape seed extract to help maintain your healthy blood pressure.9 This is an important factor in helping to prevent damage to both your heart and your brain.10
At Polyphenolics, we have conducted three clinical studies that all agree that our unique grape seed extract, MegaNatural®-BP, is clinically shown to help maintain healthy blood pressure within the normal range.11, 12, 13 No other grape seed extract can say the same, since MegaNatural®BP has a unique structure and composition.14
In addition to being a great stress management tool, exercise is important in helping to maintain healthy blood pressure levels. Many athletes seek out sports nutrition supplements that promote Nitric Oxide benefits. Nitric Oxide is important in maintaining the function of the interior lining of your arteries (endothelium).15, 16
MegaNatural®-BP acts as an antioxidant that helps support endothelial function by helping to maintain healthy nitric oxide levels that are within the normal range. This helps support healthy vasodilation and blood flow, which is important in both heart and brain health.11-16
While we can’t make stress magically disappear from your life, we are happy to provide you with information and an ingredient that may help to mitigate the havoc it can cause on your wellness and that of your consumers.
Sources:
1. http://www.
2. http://www.health.com/health/
3. https://www.cdc.gov/
4. Kivimaki M, Kawachi I. Work Stress as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2015; 17: 74.
5. O’Neal WT, Qureshi WT, Judd SE, et al. Heart Rate and ischemic stroke: the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Int J Stroke. 2015; 10 :1229-35.
6. Castellanos M, Leira R, Tejada J, Gil-Peralta A, Davalos A, Castillo J. Predictors of good outcome in medium to large spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral haemorrhages. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2005; 76: 691-695.
7. http://www.health.harvard.edu/
9. http://d.polyphenolics.com/
10. https://www.cdc.gov/
11. Sivaprakasapillai B, Edirisinghe I, Randolph J, Steinberg F, Kappagoda T. Effect of grape seed extract on blood pressure in subjects with the metabolic syndrome. Metabolism. 2009; 58: 1743-1746.
12. Robinson M, Lu B, Edirisinghe I, Kappagoda CT. Effect of grape seed extract on blood pressure subjects with pre-hypertension. J Pharm Nutri Sci. 2012; 155-159.
13. Park E, Edirisinghe I, Choy YY, Waterhouse A, Burton-Freeman B. Effects of grape seed extract beverage on blood pressure and metabolic indices in individuals with pre-hypertension: a randomised, double-blinded, two-arm, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. Brit J Nutr. 2016; 115: 226-38.
14. https://www.google.com/
15. http://d.polyphenolics.com/
16. Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B, Tissa Kappagoda C. Mechanism of the endothelium-dependent relaxation evoked by a grape seed extract. Clin Sci. 2008; 114: 331-337.
*The material in this communication is intended to be of general information use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis or recommended treatments.
**These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
