New research out of UC San Francisco is the first to demonstrate that highly stressed people who eat a lot of high-fat, high-sugar food are more prone to health risks than low-stress people who eat the same amount of unhealthy food.
“Chronic stress can play an important role in influencing biology, and it’s critical to understand the exact pathways through which it works.” said Kirstin Aschbacher, PhD, an assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Psychiatry and lead author.
“Many people think a calorie is a calorie, but this study suggests that two women who eat the same thing could have different metabolic responses based on their level of stress,” Aschbacher said. “There appears to be a stress pathway that works through diet – for example, it could be similar to what we see in animals, where fat cells grow faster in response to junk food when the body is chronically stressed.”
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of abnormalities – increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels – that occur together, increasing a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
While this stress-junk food pathway has been well mapped out with rodents and primates, this study is the first to suggest the same pathways may be at work in chronically stressed humans, according to the researchers.
“We can see this relationship exists by simply measuring stress and dietary intake, and looking inside at metabolic health,” said senior author Elissa Epel, PhD. “Diet appears to be a critical variable that can either amplify or protect against the metabolic effects of stress, but we still don’t know the details of how much it takes. It will be helpful to see what happens in our next study, when we have high stress people eat a high sugar diet for a couple weeks.”
Examining a Stress-Related Biomarker in Women
The study, published online in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, looked at a group of 61 disease-free women; 33 were chronically stressed women caring for a spouse or parent with dementia, and 28 were women with low stress.
Over the course of a year, the women reported their consumption of high sugar, high fat foods.
The researchers evaluated key biological markers associated with elevated metabolic risk. They measured participants’ waistlines and their fat distribution, using ultrasound scans to assess deep abdominal fat deposits. They tested participants’ insulin resistance, one of the core drivers of obesity and diabetes.
They also used a blood test to measure stress hormones and oxidative damage to lipids and cell RNA, a marker that has predicted higher rates of death from diabetes. Oxidative damage of the genome is also an important outcome because it is one factor that can contribute to faster cellular aging.
“We found that more frequent high-fat, high-sugar consumption significantly predicted a larger waistline, more truncal fat, higher oxidative damage, and more insulin resistance, but only among the group of women exposed to chronic stress,” said Aschbacher. “The chronically stressed women didn’t report eating more high sugar, high fat foods than the low stressed women; however, they did have higher levels of a stress-related biomarker, peripheral Neuropeptide Y (NPY).”
The Role of Chronic Stress in Disease Processes
Based on what is known from animal studies, stress triggers greater peripheral NPY which, in combination with junk food, creates larger abdominal fat cells, and these cells may be more prone to metabolic dysregulation.
“The medical community is starting to appreciate how important chronic stress is in promoting and worsening early disease processes,” said Aschbacher. “But there are no guidelines for ‘treating’ chronic stress. We need treatment studies to understand whether increasing stress resilience could reduce the metabolic syndrome, obesity or diabetes.”
I think that it is interesting that chronic stress is directly related to the way the body reacts to certain fatty foods. However, every body is different in the way it digests fatty substances. What if a person who does have chronic stress has a fast working metabolism, or say a person who doesn’t have high stress levels has a slow metabolism? Won’t the results be the same?
interesting
Razeena Bhol 14156343
Many people who are overweight might think they’re fat because of unhealthy eating habits and a lack of a healthy lifestyle even though they do exercise regularly and try to eat healthily might not realise that they have a weight issue because of chronic stress. As shown in this article people who suffer from chronic stress can have issues with weight as their bodies’ fat cells expand faster than those in low-stress situations. The availability of ‘junk-food’ these days are also increasing which makes it easier for people suffering from chronic stress to buy ‘junk-food’ rather than trying to eat something that is low in fat and sugar.
As I read through the article it reminded me of some articles I have read in magazines describing similar information on stress being related to weight gain. After reading the articles I feel a bit better and convince myself that it is ok that I have gained some weight as I have been under constant stress for a couple of years now. I have never “blogged” before and I first wanted to take some time to decide how I would like to express my opinion on this article. Other articles also suggest that more factors play a role in gaining weight such as the “craving” for carbs and fatty foods and the metabolism that slows down. Elisa Zied explains in her article (Does Stress Lead to Food Cravings and Weight Gain?) how serotonin levels are affected by these “comfort foods”, making it all seem to me like an unstoppable vicious cycle. My line of thinking was lead into a different direction that questioned why there is still continuous stress in our lives when technology is supposed to have made our lives easier. We have information readily available to increase our quality of life and to make the right choices to improve our lives. Eating plans, exercise tips and even life coping skills are just a click of a button away but we never seem to have enough time to get through everything and we still make the wrong choices regarding our health. This article captured my interest and also helped me to look at my own choices. Understanding that everything I eat may influence my health due to the stress I am constantly experiencing reminds me how I need to improve all aspects of my life. Many blogs have been posted on people’s interest on this topic and I think the article I referred to earlier compliments the same interests (http://www.foodandnutrition.org/May-2013/Does-Stress-Lead-to-Food-Cravings-and-Weight-Gain/).
After reading this article it made me realize that stress has huge negative effects on the body and our health. As a first year student at university the work load is enormous and I am constantly stressed out and battling to sleep. I gained weight around my stomach, have high cholesterol, back pain and this makes me depressed and even more stressed. I try not to eat to much but when I eat I feel better. I recently visited the doctor because I am battling to concentrate and focus on my studies and I was also informed that my problems could all be stress related and received medication for stress. After reading this article and research done it only confirms my doctors diagnose and I realize that I will have to find ways to cope better with chronic stress. It was also interesting to read S Swarts blog that 90% of doctors visits are due to stress because I am also one of the 90% statistics. I only wish that the article had more guidelines for treating chronic stress.
Chronic stress is a severe problem that many people face like mentioned in previous comments and in the blog. Interestingly I found that studies show that 90% of all doctors’ visits are due to stress related illnesses. Also it is said that 43% of adults suffer from severe health affects due to stress. When we experience severe stress our bodies release the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol and chronic stress can slow down our metabolism which can cause more weight gain than usual. Stress also causes emotional eating in some cases. When your stressed the likelihood to eat a salad is almost unlikely. Therefor it’s more likely for a person to eat fast food as it makes them feel better. As seen on http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/weightgain.htm . Looking at the information I gathered on the subject I agree with the blogs topic. Chronic stress can definitely lead to more weight gain. This blogged has helped me understand what great effects stress can have on a person’s body. Not only concerning physical health but further research has shown how stress affects ones mental health as well.
Today stress forms so part of our daily lives that we sometimes forget what it is really doing to us. Everyone falls under stress some time in their life. Some of us can handle it better than others. After reading this post, some things become more cleared to me. That is why I always tend for foods in high sugar and carbohydrates, it is not like I am going to go stand and cook a healthy meal. It is interesting to know that stress have an effect on your metabolic system. I always thought that good nutrition and exercise play the key element in your metabolic system. There is not one persons who metabolic system is the same, and stress plays a role in the way our metabolic system work. So if you are under stress your metabolic system is going to work slower, and thus you are going to gain weight. Now I understand the effects of stress better, it has an effect on our whole system. Gaining weight is not always the result of too much eating, but rather to much stress.
It is amazing to see how hormonal changes can contribute to physical changes of the body and how stress can amplify the effect that fatty foods have on the body, this is very informative as i have also noticed that i always get a strong craving for junk food whenever i am stressing about something and i could never seem understand why this happened, this information has helped me realize the link between the two and will hopefully motivate others to manage their eating habits before they get seriously ill or gain weight. People sometimes take for granted the effect that stress has on their health and the easiest way out can sometimes be the worst remedy for them because eating junk food is easy and enjoyable but in actual fact it could just be the ladder to something that will cause even more stress than what they were trying to get over at that moment. therefore it is important for a special program to be created to aid those who cannot manage their stress, a place where they can be advised on alternatives to bad eating habits i believe this will truly make a difference in their lives.
When an individual is prone top high levels of stress and even exposed to chronic stress, their bodies release stress via the adrenal glands. These stress hormones induce the fat activators in the belly which result in stressed people have the crave to consume fatty foods. Through consumption of fatty foods, one inevitably increases fatty deposits in their bodies, and this, thus results in an increase a person’s average weight.
Calorie-rich foods help reduce high levels of fat in one’s body, but they also increase the muscle (fat) flab around their bellies. Comfort foods that are rich in fat and sugars may help alleviate stress and make it more bearable, yet the anticlimax to this is the indefinite weight gain which can increase levels of obesity.
I have always suspected that stress and metabolism are related, which is why I really enjoyed this article as it added facts that proved suspicions.
A general tendency that I have noticed is that a bad diet, say of high sugar and high fat foods, often affects a person and makes them more prone to chronic stress because of the body being unhealthy. Also chronic stress often affects the type of diet a person eats. Generally people who are more stressed crave unhealthy, fatty foods more than people who are unstressed. It is therefore evident that stress and unhealthy diets are closely linked and can cause a vicious cycle which can be difficult to escape.
This article is very interesting because most people that the reason they are fat is that they tend to eat too much, which then causes them to stress about how they look, but on the contrary the article proves that chronic stress is the leading cause of obesity. Its something which I actually never knew about till now!
wow
WOW!! I cannot wait for new studies to reveal how chronic stress can be treated!!! I am sure it will be of much value for many university students (as myself)!! This will not only help us handle stress, but it will give us a way to get totally rid of it! What a delightful idea!! But for now, with the information that the current study reveals, I at least know that I should watch what I am eating, especially during heavy stressed times!! This will not only ensure a healthier me, but I am sure it will help me with my studies as well!!! It is good to know that with technology constantly developing, there is lots of hope for our health to improve even more in the future!!!
According to Wikipedia chronic stress is known as a response of pressure due to emotional instability, experienced for a certain period, where an individual thinks he or she has no control over. Corticosteroids are being released by the endocrine system as a response. Studies show that this steroid is at first beneficial for our health, but when our bodies are exposed of this steroid for a long period of time, it can get bad for our health. This can lead to high blood pressure, inhibition of growth, mental health, anxiety, depression and panic attacks, being just some of the symptoms of chronicle stress.
It is definitely now known that chronicle stress is bad for your health and if not treated, holds various health risk factors.
Stress-eating is a well-known stress releaser for many of us! According to the above study it is not the appropriate method of coping with stress as it in fact worsens the scenario. As the title of this topic states: ”Chronic Stress Makes Food Make You Fatter”
Instead of stress-eating, you can use exercise, a healthy diet, relaxation techniques and hobbies as stress managers and it will definitely ensure a healthier you!!!
Chronic stress is a huge problem for most people and alot may act in the unhealthier way than most by indulging themselves with sweets and fast foods which only satisfy a person for only those few moments . Therefore I think it is extremely important for people to try and live a healthy daily life .And this can be done by just substituting those sweets and fatty goodies with healthier , more nutritional food such as vegetables and tasty fruits.
People should know that there is alot of options out there and by doing this small life style change , there will be no need for people to experience any negative impact on their health due to a stimuli of a chronic stressor. People shouldn’t also think of eating vegetables as a diet as this can add to your stress levels just think of it as a lifestyle choice, as cliché as that sounds it is true though.
Depression,anger,pain and sadness can all be triggers of stress.Yes it is true that stress actually leads to people eating unhealthy resulting in a gain weight but for me it is a personal choice.Women turn to believe that when sad or stressed out eating ice cream,pizza,chips and chocolate helps one get rid of it.This however is not true what actually happens is the fact when they do eat these products they take their minds off what ever is bothering them it is like making some sort of a mind shift(channeling their energy to something else).
However one would also agree with the fact that a number of people turn to actually loose when stressed out.This makes the topic questionable as it is not explained how it is possible.Don’t they eat?Do they loose appetite or don’t their bodies react to the kind of food that they eat to the kind of food those who gain weight eat?You decide.
in conclusion one may say that yes stress plays a role in making people eat a lot and make them gain weight but it is more of a personal choice as there are people who loose weight due to stress.
I personally found this article being so relevant because it is truly emphasizing what many people go through.A serious problem indeed
what I have realized is that many people go through a lot of stress mainly because of too much work,specifically being under pressure,being a first year at varsity its also not easy looking at the speed used that one has to get used to it sometimes can be so stressing.Many people when they are stressed they turn to eat a lot without realizing how much this makes them fat.I could say I sometimes have this problem too because when i m stressed I turn to need chocolates by my side which is a bad habit.
What is bad is that chronic stress makes it hard to loose weight,no matter how much people try to exercise.Stress is one of the most important factor that leads to many serious illnesses like obesity and diabetes but many seem to yet often ignore this. What makes things worse is stress eating,because many people eat less healthfully and sleep less well when stressed.
More evidence show that chronic stress is really life threatening and it needs to be managed or either controlled before its really late and I think that’s what many people should really start doing.
High stress levels are a result of the changes that take place in ones environment that might cause them to have a different response than others. Wouldn’t eating healthier at a constant rate through the day along with proper time management skills and exercise lead to effectively reducing stress levels?
One can safely say that what happens to them is only because of the choices that they choose to make. Weight gain in individuals (especially women) can lead to even more problems but the individual has control over their lives so, why not choose to change the way in which they live their lives to a less stressful way in order to decrease the effects of weight gain due to high levels of stress?
The body being under high levels of stress constantly may also cause hormones to imbalance and due to the consequences of this weight gain is a result of the abnormal functioning of the body.
Chronic stress is only a result of the individual being under so much constant stressful situations that when the body is not stressed it might seem like a foreign feeling too the body and then the brain signals the systems to engage in that stressed state so that the calm feeling is no longer something that the person would not normally feel. Our body does have the ability to adapt.
My point is however, stress levels can be controlled and effectively managed if the individual makes the right choices,has the right choice of diet and also chooses to see a medical professional.
These makes a lot of sense, stress does decrease metabolic rate of a human being due to hormonal shifts in the system.It tends to make people more fat because it creates an emergency alert in the brain’s nervous system of flight or fight where it stops digestion and provide energy available to the necessary organs for specified functions therefore food eaten is stored where else others eat for comfort especially food containing sugar which makes them “feel” better as they contain suppressants that minimises stress for a while but causes more damage than help to the body.(u14018625)
A lot of things have increased over the last few decades. Society is constantly reminded about increasing petrol prices, increasing violence and increasing poverty. However, I do not think we are fully aware of the increasing stress levels among children and young adults these days.
Out of personal experience, I can fully relate to this post. Being active and following a healthy lifestyle will also not help you keep off the excess weight if your stress levels are sky high. Eating the wrong types of food consisting of high fat and high energy, as mentioned in the above post, causes one to gain weight even though you maintain a relative active lifestyle and sweat a few mornings in the gym. High levels of stress are silent killers and especially do not belong under children or young adults at university.
There are multiple support programs on campus for students struggling to cope with the workload and not adapting to the fast pace of the “real” world, but are these programs really effective? Is there not a more effective way to lower stress levels and ensure a stress free environment? Gaining weight because of too much stress only adds more stress to an individual and not being able to do anything about it worsens the scenario. The only solution is the effective lowering of stress levels. However, an EFFECTIVE way of doing so is the million dollar question.
I am not so surprised that the body reacts in a different manner to unhealthy foods when under high stress. From personal experience, the first food I would reach for when under a lot of stress would be something high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. I would assume that the reason would be because although one may be under mental stress and not physical stress (such as a survival situation), the body still interprets the high mental stress as a high-stress situation, in which some normal functions are slowed down and stopped in order to cope with the situation. When under high stress the sympathetic system is engaged, and with this, along with many other different reactions, the large intestine lowers in motility- decreasing the digestion rate. This, perhaps, could be related to the different metabolic reactions when unhealthy foods are eaten.