Big picture on stress management

New Africa - Stock.adobe.com adapted by gwendolyn salas

Stress is a universal experience, but not everyone deals with stress in healthy ways. According to a survey¹ called “Stress in America 2023” from the American Psychological Association (APA), published in November of 2023, people are still recovering from the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the intervening years, additional economic and political woes have contributed to everyday stressors, but many are not dealing with stress properly. The survey states that 61% of respondents tended to downplay their stress, reporting that they did not feel their problems were “bad enough.” On top of the shame they felt for feeling stressed at all, 62% of respondents also stated that they did not talk about their stress as to avoid burdening others with it. This can leave people to feel isolated and alone. While people dealing with chronic stressors and mental illness should seek professional help, dietary supplements may be an effective tool for helping people to manage stress and improve their quality of life.

Citing a report by Euromonitor,² which states that stress levels have been elevated for years, and have persisted since COVID-19, Martin Felker, expert branded ingredients, for Finzelberg (Andernach, Germany) says that “The development of supplements is growing off a ‘restless’ consumer base as shoppers look for new supplements and solutions that can offer a preventative or management role for stress, anxiety, and depression. We believe that these consumers are willing to experiment with new product options, including the use of science-backed botanical-based branded ingredients.”

Being proactive about stress can have positive ripples throughout one’s life because stress does not just impact how we feel, but how we function, and make decisions. “While short-term stress is a regular part of daily life, chronic or long-term stress can have a marked effect on our cognitive health, affecting the brain’s ability to complete both simple and complex tasks, resulting in memory lapses and difficulty in concentration during everyday tasks,” says Felker.

“Furthermore, chronic stress is associated with overall cognitive decline³ and cognitive loss in late adulthood,” he explains. “A study⁴ in Psychosomatic Medicine highlighted that several biologically plausible mechanisms could link stress to aging and changes in cognition during this time. One is that repeated or chronic exposure to stress activates the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, thereby stimulating the release of glucocorticoids and elevated cortisol levels. When elevated, these can contribute to long-lasting functional and structural changes in the brain.”

That same study also states that chronic stress can cause one to age faster because stress induces the release of “inflammatory and hormonal indicators of accelerated aging,” and can cause alteration to telomere length, which are considered an indicator of biological age. More specifically, the researchers say that shortened telomere length has been associated with cardiovascular disease, and has even been “noted to predict early mortality in a community sample of adults 65 years and above.”

Citing another text,⁵ Felkner explains that acute stress can even impact episodic memory. “One reason could be that the brain needs to allocate energy to other tasks during times of stress therefore impacting the way it learns and retains information,” he states.

“This also backs up information in an article in Frontiers⁶ which noted that chronic stress could lead to more rigid thinking styles. Decision-making processes are typically among the cognitive-related dimensions affected by stress,” Felkner explains. “This study found that chronic stress can promote a switch from a flexible and contextualized goal-directed system of responses to a more rigid-based system. In addition, risk-based decision-making is also impacted by chronic stress exposure.”

The impact stress can have on memory and aging creates a good argument for addressing stress early on in a person’s life, giving them the tools to help manage and cope with stressors. Of course, stress comes in many forms throughout one’s life, therefore it’s ideal to create solutions that address the needs of multiple ages groups, with some needing more support than others.

For example, Felkner explains that Finzelberg’s recently introduced Sideritis scardica ingredient (also known as Greek Mountain Tea), Concental, was developed “for a diverse group of consumers of all age groups,” but “Critically, Concental is also targeted at healthy agers looking for a plant-based and non-stimulant solution to maintain cognitive performance and target anxiety markers, particularly in menopausal women.”

A review⁷ cited by Felkner explains that “Sideritis scardica extracts and its ingredient phenylethyl-phenylpropanoid glycoside acteoside (AC, syn. verbascoside) exhibited cognitive improvement, stress-protective, neuroprotective” activity. The author of the review explains that animal models have shown that the extract “reduced behavior anxiety, depression, and memory loss…improving their memory and learning,” and even “reduced amyloid-β aggregation and neurotoxicity in Alzheimer Disease mouse models, in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and neuronal cell lines models.”

A study⁸ published in 2018 investigated the cognitive and mood outcomes of two doses of Greek mountain tea (475 and 950 mg) compared to an active control of Gingko biloba (240 mg) and placebo. Participants in this study included 155 50–70-year-old men and women. Results showed that relative to placebo and active control, the higher dose of the Greek mountain tea was associated with a significantly reduced state anxiety while also being associated with better results on cognitive tasks.

Another adaptogenic ingredient that is well-recognized is ashwagandha. There are several branded ashwagandha ingredients with growing clinical validation across these different products. For example, a branded ashwagandha from Sabinsa Corp. (East Windsor, NJ), called Shagandha, was found in a recent study⁹ to alleviate stress in healthy subjects. Compared to placebo, at a dose of 500 mg once daily for 60 days, participants taking the extract experienced significant improvements in perceived stress scale (PSS), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7), and quality of life (QOL) assessments, as well cognitive scores in the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), including multitasking, concentration, and decision taking time. Physiological measures found significant reductions in salivary cortisol and increases in urinary serotonin.

In many of these studies, it appears that cognitive health and stress relief go hand in hand. Another example is a branded Mangifera indica extract called Stadice that is distributed by AIDP Inc. (City of Industry, CA). In a study¹⁰ investigating the ingredient’s impact on cognitive function, researchers chose active players of virtual/mobile/computer/laptop games as participants. They gave 60 18-45 year old either 300 mg of the extract or placebo for seven days, and used cognitive ability tests that were part of the NIMHANS Neuropsychological Battery and Auditory verbal learning tests to assess the cognitive health effects. Results showed that those taking the extract experienced significant improvements in mental speed, attention, working memory, response inhibition, as well as verbal learning and memory, with evidence that the extract also help them manage stress, particularly nervousness, irritability, and mood swings.

At the end of the day, less stress translates to better cognition, memory, and overall more healthy aging. Consumers want relief but they can get some much more if they are proactive about managing stress. Dietary supplements are just one tool for managing stress, but having an easy-to-take, off-the-shelf solution for stress management is invaluable for busy, stressed consumers. Taken as part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle, stress management solutions can have far-reaching benefits.

References

1. Stress in America 2023. American Psychological Association. November 2023, https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2023/collective-trauma-recovery (accessed 2024-10-28)
2. Oster, M. Exploring the Booming Market for Mental Health Supplements. Euromonitor. April 27, 2023. https://www.euromonitor.com/article/exploring-the-booming-market-for-mental-health-supplements
3. Marais, S.D. Cognitive Signs of Stress. PsychCentral. September 23, 2022. https://psychcentral.com/stress/the-impact-of-stress (accessed 2024-10-28).
4. Aggarwal, N.T.; Wilson, R.S.; Beck, T.L.; Rajan, K.B.; Mendes de Leon, C.F.; Evans, D.A.; Everson-Rose, S.A. Perceived Stress and Change in Cognitive Function Among Adults Aged 65 and Older. Psychosom Med. 2015, 76 (1), 80-85. DOI:10.1097/PSY.0000000000000016
5. Sandi, C. Memory Impairments Associated with Stress and Aging. Neural Plasticity and Memory: From Genes to Brain Imaging. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis. Boca Raton. 2007
6. Morgado, P.; Cerqueira, J.J. Editorial: The Impact of Stress on Cognition and Motivation. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 2018, 12, 326. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00326
7. Panossian, A.G. Herba Sideritis: A putative adaptogen for reducing the risk of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders. Phytomedicine Plus. 2023, 4 (6), 100519. DOI: 10.1016/j.phyplu.2023.100519
8. Wightman, E.L.; Jackson, P.A.; Khan, J.; Forster, J.; Heiner, F.; Feistel, B.; Suarez, C.G.; Pischel, I.; Kennedy, D.O. The Acute and Chronic Cognitive and Cerebral Blood Flow Effects of a Sideritis scardica (Greek Mountain Tea) Extract: A Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Parallel Groups Study in Healthy Humans. Nutrients. 2018, 10 (8), 955. DOI: 10.3390/nu10080955
9. Majeed, M.; Nagabhushanam, K.; Mundkur, L. A standardized Ashwagandha root extract alleviates stress, anxiety, and improves quality of life in healthy adults by modulating stress hormones: Results from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Medicine, 2023, 102 (41): e35521. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000035521
10. Jeyakodi, S.; Krishnakumar, A.; Dalal, M.; Shetty, B.S. Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of Mangifera indica Extract (Stadice®) for Cognitive Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Cureus. 2024, 16 (7), e65751. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.65751