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Can Stress Be "Fattening"?
The way your body reacts to stress can greatly influence your ability to cope — and may even partly determine whether you reach for that bag of cookies for relief.
DHEA and cortisol are powerful hormones produced by your adrenal glands. Having a proper balance of these two hormones ensures that the body maintains a healthy metabolic response to stress. However, some people's bodies may habitually pump out too much cortisol in response to stress. One important role of cortisol is to prime your body's energy levels by increasing blood sugar levels. But if that happens too intensely over a long period of time, the body starts depositing more and more fat, particularly around the trunk, chest, neck and face regions. That creates a condition known as "central obesity."
And this can be just the start. Researchers have also found that obesity itself can cause your body to secrete more cortisol, creating excess levels that trigger even more fat deposits. That creates a vicious, reactive cycle of perpetual weight gain in the body, where obesity causes more obesity.
If you feel you just can't stick with a healthy diet, or stop yourself from episodes of binge eating, you may be trapped in this cycle of adrenal hormone imbalances. One preliminary study from Yale showed that women whose bodies produce higher cortisol in response to stress are more likely to snack on high-fat foods after experiencing stress. Several eating disorders are linked to cortisol imbalances.
In contrast, DHEA seems to balance many of the effects of cortisol, by reducing food intake, insulin (the sugar-transporting hormone) release/production, and the amount of fat your body stores. Clinical trials have shown that DHEA can decrease body fat in men by as much as one third.
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StressCheck
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References:
- Andrew R, Phillips DW, Walker BR. Obesity and gender influence cortisol secretion and metabolism in man. J Clin Endocrinol 1998;83(5):1467-71.
- Bird CE, Masters V, Clark AF. Dehydroepiandrosterone and androsterone sulphates, androstenedione and urinary androgen metabolites in normal young men and women. Clin Invest Med 1984;7:119-122.
- Chrousos GP, Torpy DJ, Gold PW. Interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and female reproductive system: clinical implications. Ann Int Med 1998;129(3):229-240.
- Cleary MP, Zisk JF. Anti-obesity of two different levels of dehydroepiandrosterone in lean and obese middle-aged female zucker rats. Int J Obesity 1986;10:193-204.
- Gansler T, Meller S, Cleary J. Chronic administration of dehydroepiandrosterone reduces pancreatic B-cell hyperplasia and hyperinsulinemia in genetically obese zucker rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1985;180:155-162.
- Ljung T, Andersson B, Bengtsson BA, BjAorntorp P, Maarin P. Inhibition of cortisol secretion by dexamethasone in relation to body fat distribution: a dose-response study. Obes Res 1996;4(3):277-82.
- Maarin P, Darin N, Amemiya T, Andersson B, Jern S, BjAorntorp P. Cortisol secretion in relation to body fat distribution in obese premenopausal women. Metabolism 1992;41(8):882-6.
- Miller JE, et al. Characterization of 24-h cortisol release in obese and non-obese hyperandrogenic women. Gynecol Endocrin 1994;8:247-254.
- Pasquali R, Anconetani B, Chattat R, Biscotti M, Spinucci G, Casimirri F, etal. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and its relationship to the autonomic nervous system in women with visceral and subcutaneous obesity: Effects of the corticotropin-releasing factor/arginine vasopressin test and of stress. Metabolism 1996;45(3):351-6.
- Women's high-fat snacking during stress due to hormones? Arizona Republic 1998;April 5:A3.
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