Dr. Elissa Epel: Control Stress for Healthy Eating, Metabolism & Aging | Huberman Lab Podcast

In this episode, my guest is Elissa Epel, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the author of a new book entitled “The Stress Prescription.” We discuss her work showing how stress impacts mood, eating behavior, mental health, physical health, and aging. She explains stress intervention tools using “top-down” techniques (e.g., radical acceptance, mindfulness, reframing), body-based methods (e.g., breathwork) including the Wim Hof Method, exercise, meditation, body scans, and environmental shifts proven to help people cease unhealthy rumination patterns. We discuss how stress can positively impact psychology and sense of purpose, how stress affects cellular aging, how our narratives of stressful events impact our mood and biology, and how to effectively reframe stress. She explains science-based techniques to break stress-induced cycles of craving and overeating and thereby improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. Dr. Epel provides a wide range of tools shown to be effective in reducing stress and improving various aspects of our health.

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Dr. Elissa Epel
UCSF profile: https://profiles.ucsf.edu/elissa.epel
Personal website: https://www.elissaepel.com
Lab Website (Aging, Metabolism & Emotion Center): https://amecenter.ucsf.edu
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dr_epel
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elissa.epel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elissa-epel

Articles
The geroscience agenda: Toxic stress, hormetic stress, and the rate of aging: https://bit.ly/3nAgNhD
THE IMPACT OF MEANINGFUL VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT IN AGING ADULTS: THE BALTIMORE EXPERIENCE CORPS TRIAL: https://bit.ly/3KpyJoa
Potential role for adult neurogenesis in the encoding of time in new memories: https://go.nature.com/3U0gwkl
The mindful moms training: development of a mindfulness-based intervention to reduce stress and overeating during pregnancy: https://bit.ly/3ZzueM3
Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres: https://bit.ly/3K4iF9Z
A Mitochondrial Health Index Sensitive to Mood and Caregiving Stress: https://bit.ly/3nKMeWo
Embodying Psychological Thriving: Physical Thriving in Response to Stress: https://bit.ly/3zrBnn5
Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal: https://bit.ly/3wEvGRf
Stress and telomere shortening: Insights from cellular mechanisms: https://bit.ly/40WYFwD
Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus: https://go.nature.com/3GdG7At
Impact of the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial on cortical and hippocampal volumes: https://bit.ly/3ZBoCkB
Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Distress, Weight Gain, and Glucose Control for Pregnant Low-Income Women: A Quasi-Experimental Trial Using the ORBIT Model: https://bit.ly/3U6UBb7

Books
The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer: https://amzn.to/3m2dHTa
The Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease (The Seven Days Series): https://amzn.to/3m4zERB

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dr. Elissa Epel
00:02:17 Sponsors: Thesis, Eight Sleep, HVMN, Momentous
00:06:18 Stress; Effects on Body & Mind
00:12:50 Tools: Overthinking & Stress
00:15:37 Acute, Moderate & Chronic Stress, Breathing
00:21:23 Stress Benefits, Aging & Cognition; Stress Challenge Response
00:31:04 Sponsor: AG-1 (Athletic Greens)
00:32:19 Tool: Shifting Stress to Challenge Response, “Stress Shields”
00:37:40 Stress, Overeating, Craving & Opioid System
00:48:55 Tools: Breaking Overeating Cycles, Mindfulness
00:54:44 Soda & Sugary Drinks
01:00:51 Smoking, Processed Food & Rebellion
01:05:29 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:06:47 Tools: Mindfulness, Pregnancy & Metabolic Health
01:14:11 Body Scan & Cravings
01:17:28 Tool: Meditation & Aging; Meditation Retreats
01:23:35 Meditation, Psychedelics & Neuroplasticity
01:26:02 Mitochondrial Health, Stress & Mood
01:29:49 Chronic Stress & Radical Acceptance, “Brick Wall”
01:37:57 Tool: Control, Uncertainty
01:45:25 Stress Management, “Skillful Surfing”
01:50:25 Narrative, Purpose & Stress
01:52:49 Breathwork, Wim Hof Method, Positivity & Cellular Aging
02:03:11 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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