Your stress is doing more harm than your diet is doing good. A recent study published in Nature makes the claim that stress can actually override healthy food choices. Yes, that means the chronic stress in your lifestyle has the potential to be far more damaging than that (large) piece of cake you had this weekend.
In the published study, 58 women were given a survey to determine their recent stress levels. Then, on separate days, they were given either a meal very high in saturated fat or a meal very high in plant fats (sunflower seed oil). When women were not stressed the day prior, only those who consumed the saturated fat exhibited increased inflammation markers. However, when women were stressed, both meals were associated with significantly increased inflammation markers, namely C-reactive protein. So, the study seems to suggest that the inflammatory action of chronic stress overrides the benefits of healthier dietary choices.
