Many people discovered the answer to this question at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic
Many people tend to attribute the extra pounds on the scale and, above all, the extra centimeters around the waist to stress. But can excessive work and worries really have this effect on our body?
Some studies show that, yes, a stressful time in life can lead many people to eat more and store more fat. And what’s worse: this adiposity tends to concentrate in the trunk, near the vital organs – the so-called “visceral fat” is famous for being the most harmful to health.
Research published in 2011, for example, suggests that stress pushes people to eat even when they’re not hungry, perhaps to “feed” our reward system in the brain. In times of tension, many people report an increased craving for snacks, sweets, and alcohol, which only makes the situation worse.
Pandemic stress and weight gain
Researchers on the topic had a great opportunity to test the impact of stress on obesity at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many people stayed at home, fearing getting sick and, at the same time, losing their source of income. One of these studies, published in 2021, analyzed data from 15 million patients in the US, comparing the year before the start of the pandemic and the change in weight during the most intense phase of social isolation.
According to the data, 39% of people gained weight during this period; in this case, weight gain was defined as a change greater than the normal fluctuation of 5 pounds. Of these, 27% gained less than 12.5 pounds and 10% gained more than 12.5 pounds, while 2% gained more than 27.5 pounds.
Stress hormone and belly
There is evidence that stress and high cortisol levels are linked to increased abdominal fat, which significantly increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
To add one more item to this list of negative impacts of stress on the body, having a large amount of cortisol can reduce muscle mass and this affects your metabolic rate. The less muscle mass a person has, the lower their metabolic rate and the fewer calories they burn at rest.
Does stress also make you lose weight?
Some people, on the contrary, respond to stress with a reduction in appetite. They ignore hunger signals and therefore may lose weight during stressful and difficult times.
The research cited above, for example, also revealed that 35% of patients lost weight during the first year of the pandemic. It’s important to remember that few people complain when they lose weight and, therefore, we tend to hear less about this complaint.
The reasons for this are probably multiple. It’s possible that people moved much less during the pandemic. Therefore, they lost muscle mass and gained fat, with fat weighing less than muscle.
Another explanation is that individuals have started to prioritize their health and have more control over the food they eat. In a context of social isolation, many have decided to prepare their own food instead of going to restaurants, and home-cooked meals tend to be healthier.
A study by the University of Minnesota (United States), for example, followed the eating habits and health of 3,031 people for 15 years: those who ate fast food two or more times a week they gained 10 pounds more than those who rarely ate this way. In another study from the same university, women who dated fast food once a week during a three-year study they gained 1.6 extra pounds.
Additionally, some individuals have used spending more time at home as an opportunity to exercise and focus on their fitness, nutrition and sleep. These people probably lost weight.
Don’t let stress affect your scale
The main recommendations to prevent stress from having a negative impact on your habits and metabolism are, first of all, to look for ways to better manage it. Learning to delegate tasks, ask for help, and prioritize what’s important can make a big difference in your everyday life.
Another tip is to give the right importance to sleep, because sleeping badly also increases the appetite for fatty and sugary foods. Several studies have already highlighted this relationship between sleep deprivation and obesity.
Finally, physical activity is a perfect antidote to both stress and weight gain. Exercise helps regulate appetite and lower cortisol levels, not to mention improves the quality of your sleep.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
