Lemony Secret: Sour Fruit Licks Stress
Hey, who needs a tranquilizer when you've got lemons? New research shows that the sour fruit widely used in cooking and fruity summer drinks can wash the stress out of your body just like it can wash the color out of your hair in the summertime sun.
According to the American Chemical Society, scientists in Japan have shown that the smell of lemons actually alters gene activity and blood chemistry in ways that measurably reduce stress.
As the Society points out, " fragrant plant oils to improve mood and health has been around since ancient times and more recently aromatherapy has become a popular form of alternative medicine. One of the most widely used substances used in aromatherapy to soothe away emotional stress is linalool, a chemical found in citrus fruits, lavender, sweet basil, birch trees and other plants."
The Japanese scientists "exposed lab rats to stressful conditions while inhaling and not inhaling linalool. Those exposed to linalool saw stress-elevated levels of neutrophils and lymphocytes — key parts of the immune system — return to near-normal levels and a reduction in the activity of more than 100 genes that go into overdrive in stressful situations."
These findings could help identify new blood tests for identifying fragrances that can soothe stress.
Photo courtesy of American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
John Casey is a New York-based health and science writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, WebMD.com, Parade magazine, CBSHealthWatch.com, Self magazine, and other publications.
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