Think and Eat Yourself Smart: A Neuroscientific Approach to a Sharper Mind and Healthier Life by Caroline Leaf

Author:Caroline Leaf [Caroline Leaf]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012000, HEA017000, HEA010000, Health—Popular works, Health—Psychological aspects, Diet—Psychological aspects, Behavior modification, Food preferences, Recipes
ISBN: 9781493401529
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2016-02-15T16:00:00+00:00

The Soul, Stress, and Sugar

As I discussed earlier, the hypothalamus is a central player in how the mind (soul) controls the body’s reaction to stress and foods. The hypothalamus is actually referred to as the “brain” of the endocrine system.106 It integrates signals from the mind and body, sending them throughout our bodies so that we can react in an appropriate and functional manner, “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (Eph. 4:16 NLT).

Stress, like real food, is not inherently bad—it depends on how we react to it.107 Stage 1 of stress is only short term and makes us alert and ready for action.108 It is an appropriate response to certain situations. During this stage, corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is secreted from the hypothalamus and stimulates the pituitary glands to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).109 ACTH travels via the blood to the adrenal glands (above the kidneys) and stimulates them to produce the stress hormone cortisol.

On the other hand, if we react incorrectly to stress due to a “spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7), our stress reaction is prolonged and becomes toxic. According to one study, increased stress can potentially increase the risk of mortality by 43 percent—but only for the individuals who believed that stress was harmful for their health. People who didn’t view stress as harmful actually decreased their risk of dying. Over the eight years of the study, the researchers estimated that the 18,200 people who died, died from the belief that stress is bad for you—that is more than two thousand deaths a year.110 This is a real eye-opener, because it shows that how we perceive stress determines its impact on our mental and physical health.

If you change your mind about stress, however, you can change your body’s response to stress. Instead of viewing the stress response as negative, when faced with a stressful situation you can view it as your body being energized to help you meet the challenge—rethink the stress response as helpful! Imagine your pounding heart preparing you for action; if you are breathing faster, good! You are getting more oxygen to your brain.111

If we choose to react wrongly to a challenging situation, we will enter stage 2 of the stress reaction. During this stage, high levels of cortisol circulate in the blood for extended periods of time, in turn contributing to prolonged high blood sugar that can also lead to insulin resistance, prediabetes, and weight gain, since prolonged high levels of cortisol lead to the accumulation of fat instead of fat breakdown. In this toxic situation, fat tends to accumulate around the middle of the body and is a risk factor for heart disease.112 In fact, prolonged, high levels of cortisol can in some extreme cases lead to Cushing’s syndrome, with its characteristic fat accumulation around the middle and back of the human body, but not on the legs, which remain thin due to muscle wastage.113 If we continue to release cortisol, we enter stage 3 of the stress reaction, which can lead to adrenal exhaustion and eventually death.

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