stress is an "invisible shackle". It is invisible and intangible, but it will affect people's daily lives and lead to a series of health problems, including increasing the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases , hypertension , diabetes , and also leading to depression and anxiety [1].
For tumor patients, excessive stress will also inhibit immune function, weaken resistance, and even promote tumor recurrence and metastasis!
stress can promote tumor recurrence and metastasis
On April 13, 2021, researchers from the University of Weston, Canada published a research paper in the international academic journal "Cell Reports" stating [2]: stress inhibits the immune system, weakens the ability to fight cancer, and leads to the accelerated development and spread of cancer cells !
In this study, researchers said that the reason why stress causes the development and spread of cancer cells is related to innate T cells in the immune system.
Congenital T cells are heterogeneous T lymphocytes, including constant natural killer T cells and mucosal-associated innate T cells. Under normal circumstances, congenital T cells, like the "alarm" in the human body, can quickly respond to invading pathogens and cancer cells.
However, in this study, the researchers observed through mouse models that this anti-tumor effect of congenital T cells, will "fail" in the presence of stress, and stress will induce hormones to cause congenital T cell damage and greatly accelerate the development and spread of cancer cells.
In short, this study reveals the specific mechanism of stress reduction in anti-cancer ability of T cells from a new perspective, and also reminds all tumor patients to relieve psychological stress in a timely manner, which will help prevent the recurrence and progress of the disease.
Diet is a good recipe for "lowering blood pressure"
For tumor patients, stress itself is inevitable, but it is not irreversible. When facing different stress situations, you can choose different modes to deal with it, among which diet is the simplest and basic way of adjustment.
Recently, researchers from the Irish APC microbiome provided the public with a "painless and efficient" new method of decompression in the Nature sub-publication "Molecular Psychiatry" - eat more fermented and fiber-rich foods every day [3].
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A total of 45 participants were included in this study, including 24 in the dietary intervention group and 21 in the control group, with the trial duration of 4 weeks.
During the trial, the control group participants adopted a general dietary recommendation based on the diet pyramid, and the specific dietary requirements of the participants in the dietary intervention group were as follows:
Eat fruits and vegetables rich in dietary fiber (6-8 servings per day, such as onions, leeks, cabbage, apples, bananas, oats)
5-8 servings of cereals per day;
3-4 servings of beans per week;
2-3 servings of fermented foods per day, such as sauerkraut, fermented milk , or kombucha (one serving is about 200ml or a cup of about 237ml).
According to the randomized controlled study conducted, after 4 weeks of dietary intervention, compared with the control group, the perceived stress of was significantly reduced by 32% in the dietary intervention group compared with the control group.
In short, this study suggests: If you feel nervous or stressed, it is better to eat more foods rich in dietary fiber and fermentation, which may help you "share" a lot of stress~
Eating more foods can help relieve stress
In addition to eating more foods rich in fiber or fermented, nutrition experts believe that eating more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, shrimps, seafood and other foods can also help relieve stress [4].
coarse grains and whole grains
Compared with refined rice and flour, coarse grains and whole grains can provide tumor patients with more B vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and other nutrients. They will not cause severe fluctuations in blood sugar after eating, which is very helpful for alleviating stress and reducing inflammation.
vegetables and fruits
vegetables and fruits are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals, and are also helpful for "anti-inflammatory".
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According to the recommendation of "Chinese Residents Dietary Guidelines 2022": There are Vegetables , and consume a lot of 300g of vegetables every day, and dark vegetables should account for 1/2. It is recommended to eat fruits every day, and consume 200 to 350g of fresh fruits every day. Juice cannot replace fresh fruits [5].
nuts and beans
Some fatty nuts, such as walnuts, flax seeds are also rich in ω-3 fatty acids , which is a good helper to relieve stress and anti-inflammatory; soybeans are rich in high-quality protein and soy isoflavones . Among them, some studies have found that eating soy isoflavones frequently has a protective effect on myocardial hypertrophy (an adaptive response to long-term excessive heart load) [6].
Fish and shrimp
Fish and shrimp contain more unsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3 fatty acids. Data shows that the nutrient omega-3 fatty acids can relieve stress oxidative damage, and can also alleviate the excessive inflammatory response of critically ill patients and after major surgery, effectively improving the prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors [7].
Summary
Tumor patients are affected by the disease and are under great psychological pressure. Although this situation is normal, the stress is not relieved in time, and the prognosis of the patient may be affected.
In this regard, it is necessary for patients with "high pressure" to relieve internal stress in time through some methods to avoid more painful consequences.
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Reference:
[1] Hu Xinyue. Psychological stress and clinical intervention in patients with chronic diseases [J]. Journal of Southeast University (Medical Edition), 2020, 39(05):693-696.
[2] Rudak PT, Choi J, Parkins KM, Summers KL, Jackson DN, Foster PJ, Skaro AI, Leslie K, McAlister VC, Kuchroo VK, Inoue W, Lantz O, Haeryfar SMM. Chronic stress physically spares but functional impairs innate-like invariant T cells. Cell Rep. 2021 Apr 13;35(2):108979. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108979. PMID: 33852855.
[3] Berding, K., Bastiaanssen, T.F.S., Moloney, G.M. et al. Feed your microbes to deal with stress: a psychobiotic diet impacts microbial stability and perceived stress in a healthy adult population. Mol Psychiatry (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-022-01817-y.
[4] Wang Lu. "Anti-inflammatory" diet against anxiety and stress [J]. Food and Health, 2022, 34(05):62-64.
[5] "Diet Guide for Chinese Residents 2022"
[6] Zhou Qian, Wu Wei, Zhou Li, Zhou Qing. Effect of soy isoflavones on myocardial hypertrophy in stress-loaded rats [J]. Journal of Gannan Medical College, 2008(01):4-7.
[7] Liu Liu, Zhuang Wen, Chen Zhong. Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on postoperative inflammatory response and nutritional status in patients with gastrointestinal malignant tumors [J]. Chinese Journal of Basic and Clinical Foreign Affairs, 2009, 16(12):964-967.
