Well, it’s been a week now. For all the rugby aficionados, or those of us living in New Zealand; we can finally now breathe a collective sigh of relief. The All Blacks have finally been victorious at the Rugby World Cup 2011. And while the nation continues to ride the crest of this victory and bask in the warm afterglow of the fact that the champions were well desrving of the title, we can now look back and ask – “How did it affect us all form a health perspective?”.

The primary focus of the nation for the last six weeks has been all about the world cup and whether their beloved All Blacks could finally lift the Webb Ellis Trophy after 24 years of trying. The Rena oil spill, death of Gaddafi and EU debt crisis all seemed to have taken a back seat during this time.

Stress is a funny thing. Let’s be clear; it can be a bad thing, but it is not a scenario that is ALWAYS linked to something with a negative connotation. Stress activates our body’s sympathetic nervous system, inducing the so called ‘flight or fight’ response. This causes our adrenal glands to release a flood of hormones; the most important of which being adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline for starters, temporarily increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Whilst cortisol increases blood sugar, and most importantly makes sure that this gets delivered to the brain. Don’t get me wrong, this is all good stuff – in short bursts. Infact, I will go one step further and state that this is actually essential; it is critical for growth.

Anyone who watched the game or who was at Eden Park last sunday could easily testify to the above effects. We were all at the edge of our seats for most, if not all 80 minutes of the game. Afterall, who could forget those last 5 minutes, with a nation of 4 million willing every ball carry, every inch gained and every penalty denied. And whilst that not necesarily a bad thing on any given sunday; this heightened state was a culmination of a growing sense of anticipation and concern over the preceeding 6 weeks.

It is only when stress becomes chronic and uncontrolled that it becomes an issue.When chronic stress becomes part of life, serious physical and mental health consequences can develop. This is due in part to a somewhat paradoxical problem. Prolonged exposure to adrenaline and cortisol in the bloodstream can result in chronically elevated heart rates, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. This causes a number physiological issues which have been associated with a number of conditions such as an increased risk of heart attacks, cancer, stroke, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, anxiety, depression, asthma, psoriasis, eczema, sleep isues and memory impairment to name but a many.

In my opinion, in what can only be described as the quote of the tournament, an exhausted Richie McCaw’s first words after the final whistle was blown were – “mate, I’m absolutely shagged.” Words spoken with such perspicacity and without hubris and representative of the rest of the team. I suspect that he meant this both from a physical and an emotional perspective. This was after all, the driving force in in the lives of all 22 men over the pat 4 years.

He looked and sounded spent.

 

 

So now that the tournament is over, the players and the nation for that matter can and should attend to themselves. For sure, whilst a healthy diet, regular exercise, meditation and reducing alcohol, drugs and cigarettes will all help. There is nothing quite like reducing the underlying stressor in one’s life to help fully control things. So with the Webb Ellis trophy safely locked away for another 4 years; maybe we can now get on and do this.

Research from John’s Hopkins University has reported that lower Vitamin D levels (deathfrom any cause.

Danish researchers have discovered that we need Vitamin D to activate our immune system’s T-Killer Cells. A lack of Vitamin D results in increased inflammation. This in turn reduces the length of the leukocyte telomeres. This telomere length is a predictor of age-related diseases. Research from King’s College, London found that people with longer telomere length have higher Vitamin D levels. This difference is equivalent to five years of telomeric aging.

My advice; don’t get caught short. Check your Vitamin D levels and increase the length of those telomeres.

Omega-3 fats come in two forms – Eicosapentanoic Acid (EPA) and Docohexanoic Acid (DHA). These are not made in the body and thus need to be consumed from an external source.

Omega-3 fats have a range of beneficial effects:

• Reduce the risk of heart diseas and stroke.
• Reduce LDL levels and increase HDL levels (by up to 44%).
• Protect the brain by increasing concentration ability and reducing the rate of alzheimers development.
• Reduces the risk of cancer.
• Reduced inflammation and pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Krill oil is probably the best source of Omega-3 fats on the planet. Logically enough, Krill Oil comes from Krill, which are tiny shrimp-like crustaceans which inhabit the depth of the Antartic and North Pacific oceans. Despite being so small, Krill make up the largest animal biomass on the planet.

Krill oil contains both EPA and DHA – but unlike other fish oils, they are ‘put’ together in a different fashion. Krill oil exists in a double chain phospholipid structure – very similar to our own cell membrane structure. This allows for a much easier entry into the cell in order for it to be used. One of these chains also contains a molecule called Astaxanthin. This is a potent anti-oxidant and has been shown to protect against UV light. It is this molecule that makes Krill oil  almost 48 times more potent than other fish oils.Due to the rapid absorption and high anti-oxidant content, there is rarely any fishy burping or poor after-taste often experienced with fish oils.

What are the downsides? Well, for starters, it is more expensive; but you get what you pay for.

Virtually all Krill oil is produced by Neptune Technologies. This Canadian company currently holds the patent for Krill oil extraction. It is then shipped worldwide to various manufacturers to be bottled and sold. This is advantageous as it means that both the dose and quality remains constant despite the brand.

In short, not all fish oil is created equally, but Krill oil is.