Unfortunately, stress can potentially lead to all kinds of health-related issues. Stress has also been implicated in weight gain. While we each handle our daily stress in our own particular way, some individuals find comfort in food, particularly high-fat foods. Research suggests that chronic stress can alter metabolism and appetite hormones, which can lead to altered eating behaviors.
A new obesity research study explored this phenomenon further[1]. For this study, adult female rats were fed either a regular chow diet or a high-fat diet and exposed to either their stress-free home environment or exposed to chronic variable stress for 4 weeks. The results of this study showed that:
Animals fed a high-fat diet, regardless of their environment, gained weight, total body fat, and abdominal body fat.
Body weight gain in stressed rats eating either the chow or high-fat diet was similar to unstressed rats fed the chow diet.
Rats exposed to chronic stress and fed a high-fat diet became more fat, despite not having a different body weight compared to control rats.
These are interesting study results due to discrete differences in how the animals responded to high-fat diets and chronic stress. First, a high-fat diet on its own, as one might expect, led to a gain in body weight and a gain in body fat. In comparison, stressed rats fed a high-fat diet did not gain any more body weight than control rats, but became fatter. The authors of this study suggest that chronic stress appears to increase the number of calories burned, keeping body weight gain similar to the control rats. Despite this, stressed animals had altered levels of some hormones and a preferential increase in body fat. Therefore, while stress might not always cause us to gain weight, it might cause us to gain body fat.
Minimizing the amount of daily stress to which we are exposed might be one way we can reduce our risk for overeating and obesity. While there are probably hundreds of ways to combat stress, I've outlined a few ideas below:
Focus on the positive - focusing on the negative can lead to constant worrying and additional stress.
Exercise - exercise helps you get your mind off whatever is stressing you, making it a great stress reliever.
Find ways to relax - enjoy nature in a quiet spot, work on a hobby you like, talk and laugh with trusted family members and friends, listen to your favorite music, or read a good book
Add a few "I want to's" into your daily or weekly routine. It's ok to treat yourself every once in a while.
Learn to say "no" - saying "yes" to all requests might make you feel that others are taking advantage of you, causing undue stress.
Laugh out loud - laughter can relieve stress and lighten one's mood.
Take a day or half a day and do something for yourself.
Take a nap - naps may help reduce stress and increase alertness and productivity
Stress can come from many sources and can sneak up on us before we realize it. So, be proactive and incorporate some stress-relieving activities into your daily routine.
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