Stress Makes you Fat

Saying that modern life is stressful is an understatement.  We have families to care for, homes to look after, children to take here and there and careers to pay for it all.  On top of that is the added stress of having to look fabulous and skinny as a rake while  coping with hunger, cravings and self criticism and comparison with the latest model on the front cover of which ever magazine is in "vogue".

We are our own worst enemies.  Keeping Up with the Kardashians has got nothing on each of us trying to keep up with the girl at the next desk!

We have all known for years that stress is detrimental to health.  How many times have you heard that someone has had a stress-related heart attack or stroke?  Stress and anxiety are also two of the major causes of cancer, and the health industry also knows that stress makes you fat or at the very least doesn't make it easy for you to lose weight.

Up until now, the stress/weight factor was thought to be due to the stress blocking your system or the fact that if you are stressed you  tend to crave sweet things more than lettuce and 5k run.

Well, the University of Florida has discovered a direct link between stress and fat metabolism.  According to the study authors at the University of Florida chronic stress stimulates the production of a protein called betatrophin that reduces the body's ability to breakdown fat.

Betatrophin was originally thought to be a breakthrough therapy for diabetes.  A Harvard University study in 2013 suggested it could increase the number of insulin producing beta cells, however this was later disproved, but the scientists at the University of Florida are still studying it's capabilities using mice models.

So far they have managed to establish betatrophin's role in fat regulation.  The scientists found that mice that were subjected to high metabolic stress produced significantly more betatrophin, and their normal fat burning processes were found to have slowed down considerably.

They also found that mice experiencing high environmental stress also produced higher amounts of betatrophin in fat tissue and the liver.

Dr. Yang, co-author of the study at the University of Florida said that these findings established that betatrophin is a stress-related protein.  The study found that betatrophin suppresses adipose triglyceride lipase which is the enzyme that breaks down stored fat.

The study proves how stress affects the lives of mice, but as yet more research is needed in humans.  Even though we will have to wait for more studies to be carried out, we already know so much about the negative effects of stress in our lives and we also know there is a lot we can do to manage stress, even if getting rid of it altogether seems impossible in todays society.

Meditation helps a lot and there is clinical proof that people who meditate on a regular basis are much happier than people who don't.  There are many forms of meditation, relaxation and mindfulness you just have to find which one works for you.

So, good luck and let me know what you discover.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com