People usually reach for ready-to-eat snacks, such as croissants, a chocolate bar, or a bag of potato chips, whenever their stress levels increase; but researchers from the University of Birmingham discovered in two recent studies that eating these highfat foods while you are stressed may lead to a series of undesirable health interactions, reports Al-Qabas daily. According to experts, stress causes changes in the heart and body, and the heart rate and blood pressure may rise immediately under stress.

The Times has reported that researchers confirmed these responses are completely normal. In healthy people, blood vessels expand well, which reduces pressure on the walls of blood vessels. However, in people at risk of heart disease, their blood vessels are not flexible enough, and this means that the blood does not get where it needs to be, they explained.

However, results published in the journal, ‘Frontiers in Nutrition’, showed that two croissants can cause a severe and potentially harmful decrease in the healthy elasticity of blood vessels in people who do not have a history of heart disease or other health problems. The results showed that blood vessel function decreased by one percent increasing the risk of heart disease by 13 percent, and it also showed that the elasticity of the artery did not return to normal 90 minutes after the end of the meal.

In addition, the arteries are not the only ones that suffer when people eat snacks during times of stress. Another research paper published in the journal, ‘Nutrients’, found that fatty snacks also affect brain function, as the flow of oxygen to the part of the brain decreases. It regulates people’s thoughts, actions, and emotions. This shift in mental state can make people feel more stressed than they initially did, they warned.

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