When stress becomes the partner of obesity
According to a new study published in the USA, stress – when experienced regularly – could be the cause of weight gain equivalent to 5kg each year. The researchers have indeed succeeded in demonstrating that a state of stress, just before consuming a relatively fatty meal, had harmful effects on the way the body burned calories: in the case of stressed individuals, the metabolism worked less quickly.
Diet and obesity
Diet is by definitionthe first actor of overweight and obesity. Meals taken on the go, in front of a screen and without special attention, to fast food, snacks or ready meals. Meals are moving away from a balanced diet and the time given to these moments is increasingly limited. This mode of eating causes overweight or obesity in young people but also in adults.
Snacking is also a second important player that leads to overeating and poor eating habits. He is present between meals but also during activities in front of screens.
It is important for everyone to learn how to balance or rebalance the intake of meals and avoid snacking so as not to sink into overweight or obesity.
Stress and obesity: what the study shows
If diet and lifestyle are the driving force behind overeating and obesity, emotions also play an important role. Depending on the individual, stress and anxiety will encourage them to consume more. This was highlighted by another recent study, arguing thatdepressed women have a greater tendency to snack. Consumption can be material, food or related to substances such as cigarettes.
But this study brings new elements: stress slows down the metabolism.
The Ohio researchers’ study analyzed 58 women, with an average age of 53. The scientists conditioned a typical day for all these women (including 3 meals), and analyzed, the next day, their blood sugar, triglycerides, insulin but also their levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) and other parameters.
It was found that 31 women (more than 50%) had been under stress the previous day and 21 women (more than 35%) were under regular stress. Stressors are private or professional: family conflicts, conflicts between colleagues or related to hierarchical pressure.
For stressed people, 104 fewer calories are burned (within 7 hours of eating the meal). A phenomenon that is equivalent to a weight gain of the order of 5kg per year.
There is therefore a double effect of stress:
- Stress makes us eat more, and fattier.
- Stress slows down our metabolism, and therefore eliminates calories less effectively.
Ever-changing lifestyles
Outdoor and sporting activities are reduced in favor of activities in front of different screens: television, computer, tablet and laptop. These screens offer a multitude of activities: surfing the web, individual games, network games, online poker, etc.Individual activities have developed and have abandoned activities with family or friends.
These changes also influence our ability to react to stress: in an increasingly individualistic society, individuals react badly to the gaze of others, to the hierarchy and in general to the many hassles of everyday life. Stress is omnipresent for many French people, who remain one of the nations in the world, still consuming the most anti-depressants.
On the other hand, the mode of travel and transport has also developed. Walking, cycling and public transport are often neglected, in favour of individual transport such as the car.
All these changes are related to obesity figures. Thelast ObEpi-Roche survey, in France (2012), reported 15% of obese people in France.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.