My Healthy Tidbits

There is a natural, stress-related hormone called cortisol that may contribute to weight issues, particularly abdominal fat.  High amounts of cortisol are released into the blood stream when you are under stress.  Receptors for cortisol are located in your abdomen, which triggers fat storage there.  In 2000, researchers found that women with a high ‘waist-to-hip ratio’–both overweight and slim –secreated more cortisol under stress and reported more stress in their daily lives than women with lower ‘waist-to-hip ratios’.

Additionally, excess cortisol may actually cause your metabolism to slow down.  This could mean that even if you don’t consume more calories than usual, you could gain weight. But since stress stimulates the appetite, it is likely that you take in more calories than usual when under stress, which only compounds the problem.  Together, eating more calories and having a slower metabolism than usual is a “double-whammy” in the stress/weight connection; not only do you tend to take in more calories than usual, but you don’t burn them efficiently, either. 

The tendency to eat high-fat foods may actually cause a vicious cycle of poor food choices.  Women who eat high-fat diets have been shown both to have increased cortisol reactivity and greater preference for sweet foods.

Ways to cope: 1. Get emotional support by reaching out to others for help.   2. Instead of reaching for a snack, walk outside for a brisk 5-minute walk or walk up and down some stairs a few times. A burst of activity may help suppress your appetite. 3. Get regular exercise that helps regulate cortisol levels, help alleviate depression and get a better night’s sleep.  4. Do relaxation exercises such as, guided visualization, deep breathing and meditation. 5. Get enough sleep.  6. One way to get a handle on emotional eating is to keep a food diary.