“We know that folk who have been exposed to hormetic stress and have adapted do better when it comes to any kind of extreme cardiac stress,” says Dr Jack Kreindler, founder of WellFounded, a company that researches resilience and longevity and offers health programmes.
“If you take up a challenge like learning the piano or a new language that stress will literally cause a rewiring of the brain to be able to fit to the new environment,” says Dr Kreindler.
“This is largely due to the activation of stress response pathways that enhance cellular resilience,” says Dr Amati.
These things put the body under stress but when done for just the right amount of time, help us to grow stronger – in the same way that getting a flu jab does.
“Specific dietary components play a critical role in triggering hormetic responses,” says Dr Federica Amati, Head Nutritionist at ZOE and Nutrition Lead at Imperial College London.
