Q. Is it true that stress causes weight gain?

A. The price your body pays for chronic stress can be weight gain, not to mention a host of other health problems including diabetes, cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure.

A fascinating animal study showed a dose-response relationship between stress and weight gain. (And I can’t imagine animals worrying about paying their bills or getting their kids into college). So, the human stress factor might be even more profound, but there has yet to be a similar type of study on people.

Since the late 1980’s, stress has been associated with increased abdominal fat and insulin resistance [1]. Just last month, scientists discovered that the stress chemical, cortisol, is a critical step in growing a fat cell, into a fully mature fat cell [2].

Scientists recently discovered that counting calories also raises cortisol, which may be another reason diets not only don’t work, but also predict more weight gain [3, 4].

Note, that this "cortisol effect" is a biological mechanism, which may explain the stress-weight-gain connection. This is completely different from coping with stressful events by eating, which is a form of emotional eating.

So what’s a health-minded person supposed to do during stressful times? Obviously, you can’t control events such as the chaotic economy. Be sure to make your stress-reducing self-care, a non-negotiable priority, including: adequate sleep, engage in play time, and talk with supportive friends and family.

Links to Resources:

[1] McEwen BS. Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. NEJM. 1998;338(3):171-179.

[2] A Fat Cell Grows Up.

[3] Tomiyama, A. Janet, Mann, Traci, Vinas, Danielle, Hunger, Jeffrey M., DeJager, Jill, Taylor, Shelley E. Low Calorie Dieting Increases Cortisol. Psychosom Med 2010;72: 357-364.

[4] Is it True that Dieting Makes You Gain Weight?

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