Is Chronic Stress Cutting Your Life Short?

By VRP Staff

It’s obvious enough how stress affects the quality of your life: the sleepless nights… the endless worry… the inability to relax and enjoy even your favorite activities. But what might not be so obvious is that stress can affect the length of your life, too—to a greater degree than you may have ever thought possible.

Scientists have found that stress actually accelerates cellular aging—as measured by the length of specialized genetic segments called telomeres—by as much as ten years.^1-5 And not surprisingly, these stress-related changes are also linked to a number of life-threatening conditions—most notably where your heart’s health is concerned.

A large body of research reveals a strong connection between chronic stress and heart disease. Population studies have shown that even when other risk factors are accounted for, job stress still leads to a significantly increased risk of coronary heart disease.⁶ Highly stressed patients are also 21 percent more likely to suffer from high blood pressure—along with the elevated angiotensin levels and aortic stiffness that frequently accompanies hypertension.^7-10

Let’s face it: Finding time to relax isn’t always easy. But there are a number of nutrients available to give you a hand. Supplementation with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), for example, has been shown to reduce anxiety and regulate brain excitability—while amino acids like L-theanine can increase calming neurotransmitters and reduce physiological stress responses like increased heart rate.^11-14 Similarly, botanicals such as ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), valerian, and passion flower can also balance your body’s physical stress responses—while stabilizing your mood and reducing bouts of anxiety and insomnia.^15-21 That’s why you’ll find all of these key ingredients in VRP’s stress-fighting formula Allay™.

For added protection, combine these calming nutrients with another formula called CardioCare. This synergistic blend includes ample amounts of CoQ10—a nutrient that widens blood vessels, halts atherosclerosis progression and acts as an all-natural blood thinner, while accelerating recovery in cardiac patients.²² Meanwhile, L-carnitine inhibits artery-damaging LDL oxidation and L-arginine helps to counteract deadly arrhythmias.^23-24 The herbs hawthorn and salvia round out this formula—both of which have been shown to protect against heart damage and enhance cardiac function.^25-27

Finally, maintaining healthy blood pressure levels is critical—and luckily, VRP offers two effective solutions. The formula PRESSURE-fX™ combines cordyceps and shark cartilage to address two factors contributing to elevated blood pressure: high rennin levels and parathyroid hypertensive factor (PHF). In fact, one clinical study showed that 88 percent of subjects supplementing with this combination of botanicals were able to reduce their blood pressure significantly—and 75 percent were able to maintain normal blood pressure as a result.²⁸

Also available through VRP, Circutrol BP™ combines grape seed and blueberry extracts with vitamin K2 (menaquinone). In patients whose blood pressure issues are being caused by nitric oxide deficiency, increased ACE activity and arterial calcification, this synergistic combination can support healthy systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, safely and naturally.^29-34

References:

1. Epel ES, Blackburn EH, Lin J, Dhabhar FS, Adler NE, Morrow JD, Cawthon RM. Accelerated telomere shortening in response to life stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 Dec 7;101(49):17312-5.

2. Damjanovic AK, Yang Y, Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Nguyen H, Laskowski B, Zou Y, Beversdorf DQ, Weng NP. Accelerated telomere erosion is associated with a declining immune function of caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients. J Immunol. 2007 Sep 15;179(6):4249-54.

3. Tyrka AR, Price LH, Kao HT, Porton B, Marsella SA, Carpenter LL. Childhood Maltreatment and Telomere Shortening: Preliminary Support for an Effect of Early Stress on Cellular Aging. Biol Psychiatry. 2009 Oct 13. Published Online Ahead of Print.

4. Choi J, Fauce SR, Effros RB. Reduced telomerase activity in human T lymphocytes exposed to cortisol. Brain Behav Immun. 2008 May;22(4):600-5.

5. Epel ES, Lin J, Wilhelm FH, Wolkowitz OM, Cawthon R, Adler NE, Dolbier C, Mendes WB, Blackburn EH. Cell aging in relation to stress arousal and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2006 Apr;31(3):277-87.

6. Xu W, Zhao Y, Guo L, Guo Y, Gao W. Job stress and coronary heart disease: a case-control study using a Chinese population. J Occup Health. 2009;51(2):107-13.

7. Gasperin D, Netuveli G, Dias-da-Costa JS, Pattussi MP. Effect of psychological stress on blood pressure increase: a meta-analysis of cohort studies. Cad Saude Publica. 2009 Apr;25(4):715-26.

8. Ge D, Zhu H, Huang Y, Treiber FA, Harshfield GA, Snieder H, Dong Y. Multilocus analyses of Renin-Angiotensin-aldosterone system gene variants on blood pressure at rest and during behavioral stress in young normotensive subjects. Hypertension. 2007 Jan;49(1):107-12.

9. Heck A, Lieb R, Ellgas A, Pfister H, Lucae S, Erhardt A, Himmerich H, Horstmann S, Kloiber S, Ripke S, Müller-Myhsok B, Bettecken T, Uhr M, Holsboer F, Ising M. Polymorphisms in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene region predict coping styles in healthy adults and depressed patients. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2009 Jan 5;150B(1):104-14.

10. Vlachopoulos C, Kosmopoulou F, Alexopoulos N, Ioakeimidis N, Siasos G, Stefanadis C. Acute mental stress has a prolonged unfavorable effect on arterial stiffness and wave reflections. Psychosom Med. 2006 Mar-Apr;68(2):231-7.

11. No authors listed. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), Monograph. Altern Med Rev. 2007 Sep;12(3):274-9.

12. Abdou AM, Higashiguchi S, Horie K, Kim M, Hatta H, Yokogoshi H. Relaxation and immunity enhancement effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) administration in humans. Biofactors. 2006;26(3):201-8.

13. Kimura K, Ozeki M, Juneja LR, Ohira H. L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. Biol Psychol. 2007 Jan;74(1):39-45.

14. Yamada T, Terashima T, Okubo T, Juneja LR, Yokogoshi H. Effects of theanine, r-glutamylethylamide, on neurotransmitter release and its relationship with glutamic acid neurotransmission. Nutr Neurosci. 2005 Aug;8(4):219-26.

15. Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Sairam K, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study. Phytomedicine. 2000 Dec;7(6):463-9.

16. Gupta GL, Rana AC. Protective effect of Withania somnifera dunal root extract against protracted social isolation induced behavior in rats. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Oct-Dec;51(4):345-53.

17. Bhattacharya SK, Bhattacharya A, Sairam K, Ghosal S. Anxiolytic-antidepressant activity of Withania somnifera glycowithanolides: an experimental study. Phytomedicine. 2000 Dec;7(6):463-9.

18. Gupta GL, Rana AC. Protective effect of Withania somnifera dunal root extract against protracted social isolation induced behavior in rats. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Oct-Dec;51(4):345-53.

19. No authors listed. Valeriana officinalis, Monograph. Altern Med Rev. 2004 Dec;9(4):438-41.

20. Benke D, Barberis A, Kopp S, et al. GABA(A) receptors as in vivo substrate for the anxiolytic action of valerenic acid, a major constituent of valerian root extracts. Neuropharmacology. 2008 Jun 17. Published Online Ahead of Print.

21. Krenn L. Passion Flower (Passiflora incarnata L.)—a reliable herbal sedative. [Article in German]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2002;152(15-16):404-6.

22. Kumar A, Kaur H, Devi P, Mohan V. Role of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in cardiac disease, hypertension and Meniere-like syndrome. Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print]

23. Eby G, Halcomb WW. Elimination of cardiac arrhythmias using oral taurine with l-arginine with case histories: Hypothesis for nitric oxide stabilization of the sinus node. Med Hypotheses. 2006;67(5):1200-4.

24. Malaguarnera M, Vacante M, Avitabile T, Malaguarnera M, Cammalleri L, Motta M. L-Carnitine supplementation reduces oxidized LDL cholesterol in patients with diabetes. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jan;89(1):71-6.

25. Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E. Hawthorn extract for treating chronic heart failure. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1.

26. Ling S, Luo R, Dai A, Guo Z, Guo R, Komesaroff PA. A pharmaceutical preparation of Salvia miltiorrhiza protects cardiac myocytes from tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis and reduces angiotensin II-stimulated collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. Phytomedicine. 2009 Jan;16(1):56-64.

27. Nie R, Xia R, Zhong X, Xia Z. Salvia miltiorrhiza treatment during early reperfusion reduced postischemic myocardial injury in the rat. Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2007 Oct;85(10):1012-9.

28. Malina O, Malina M, Kotsifas G, et al. Treatment of Mild to Moderate Arterial Hypertension with Pressure-FX®. Unpublished research. Instituto de Medicina Ortomolecular, Parana, Brazil.

29. Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B, Tissa Kappagoda C. Mechanism of the endothelium-dependent relaxation evoked by a grape seed extract. Clin Sci (Lond). 2008 Feb;114(4):331-7.

30. Freedman JE, Parker C, Li L, et al. Select flavonoids and whole juice from purple grapes inhibit platelet function and enhance nitric oxide release. Circulation. 2001;103:2792-8.

31. Lu B, Robinson M, Kappagoda T. Effect of a Novel Grape Seed Extract on Blood Pressure in Subjects with Prehypertension. Presented at the FASEB Experimental Biology Conference, Washington, DC, April 30, 2007.

32. Sweeney M, Shaughnessy K, Gottschall-Pass K. Blueberry diets delay the onset of hypertension and reduce insulin resistance in spontaneously hypertensive stroke prone rats. FASEB J. 2007;21:847.

33. Schurgers LJ, Cranenburg EC, Vermeer C. Matrix Gla-protein: the calcification inhibitor in need of vitamin K. Thromb Haemost. 2008 Oct;100(4):593-603.

34. Beulens JW, Bots ML, Atsma F, et al. High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Jul 19. Published online ahead of print.