Managing stress through nutrition

STRESS has become one of the major issues affecting mood health. It is an unavoidable consequence of modern life, continuously increasing due to modification in lifestyles and habits. Whilst stress is not necessarily negative and, to some extent can have positive impact on people, modern-day multitasking can feel like overload and start affecting physical and mental well-being of individuals - influencing their morale, mood, sleep quality, appetite and concentration. Even though stress is not pathology but only the natural physiological response to a constraint from the environment, high amounts of stress can wear down the body and contribute to serious self-destructive conditions such as anxiety and depression. Thus, to help prevent or treat stress symptoms as well as resulting mood conditions, functional foods designed to target these specific concerns can be considered. We can note that over the past few years, the sector of mood health food has experienced significant changes due to increasingly worried consumers who show more and more interest in purchasing products designed to help them cope with the stresses and strains of modern life. This emergent awareness about food products health benefits creates the need for food and drinks that can take effect in reducing or alleviating stress symptoms. Nature's answer to stress The story of one natural anti-stress ingredient began with the observation of the calm state of a baby after breastfeeding. Ingredia Nutritional's scientists, in collaboration with research institutes, focused on identifying the relationship between milk consumption and the resulting soothing effects. After many years of research, the researchers succeeded in identifying within a milk protein, a bioactive peptide with natural relaxing properties. Unfortunately, the adult enzymatic system can no longer release this bioactive peptide, which is why Ingredia has developed the food grade peptide Lactium as a natural solution to alleviate mental and psychological stress effects. Response to mood health concerns As a patented all-natural ingredient based on a milk protein hydrolysate, Lactium is already used by numerous consumers wanting to regulate their chronic stress symptoms, to face very stressful periods of life or to optimise general well-being. Lactium is one of the few ingredients that have received a French health claim authorisation from the French Safety and Control Administration, approved by AFFSA (French Health and Food Safety Agency), and is currently waiting to receive a European health claim authorisation from the EFSA. In addition, it has GRAS status in the United States, and was recently approved by Australian TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration), which also benefits from a Korean health claim authorisation. This stress-relief ingredient has been clinically proven to be efficient. Lactium does not suppress stress factors but rather helps consumers deal with occasional or everyday stress, decreasing stress-related symptoms such as sleep disorders, impaired memory and concentration, and mood disorders. Proven effectiveness Six randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled studies on the efficacy of Lactium to regulate stress symptoms conducted on 234 volunteers between 1999 and 2006 prove its effectiveness without side effects or habituation. Lactium was tested at a dosage of 150mg/day. These studies measured physiological parameters indicating stress levels such as hormone assays (cortisol, ACTH) and cardiovascular parameters (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate) as well as individual's perception. One study, conducted amongst 63 women and based on well-being improvement statements, showed a significant reduction of stress-related disorders reported by volunteers. Moreover, results reported on Cattell and Spielberger questionnaires, clearly showed the positive efAir Max 1 Ultra Moire