Stress Creates Weight Gain
As described in a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology, stressing out can cause people to increase in weight. It is believed that this study is one of the first of its kind to look at the relationship between weight increase and multiple types of stress. It examined different types of stress that included job-related demands, difficulty paying off bills, strained home life, depression or anxiety disorder.
“Today’s economy is stressing people out, and stress has been linked to a number of illnesses – such as heart disease, high blood pressure and increased risk for cancer. This study shows that stress is also linked to weight gain” as described by Jason Block, M.D., M.P.H.. Dr Block is the individual that directed the study as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health … Society Scholar at Harvard University. Block practices internal medicine at Brigham … Women’s Hospital and is on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
The research shows that women’s waists are impacted by a number of types of stress. As discovered in the study, “Psychosocial Stress and Change in Weight Among U.S. Adults.” Along with weight gain connected with money troubles or a difficult job, women also put on pounds when grappling with strained family relationships and feeling restricted by life’s circumstances.
For males, the numbers on the scale did not go up when tackling difficult family relationships or feeling controlled by life circumstances. Among men, want of decision say-so at work and lack of skill discretion was related to greater weight increases. Skill discretion can be characterised as the ability to acquire new skills on the job and to engage in interesting job duties.
Overall, this research found that people who described increased psychological stress put on more weight if they already had higher body mass indexes (BMI). A similar weight-gain practice was not discovered among lower-weight people who were addressing similar types of stress, as reported in the study.
When managing life’s stressful periods, people may change their eating patterns, and this can lead to changes in weight. Stress stimulated weight gain is influenced by a person’s gender, the kinds of foods they eat when they modifiy their eating behaviors, and whether the person is already overweight or obese. These factors may cause some individuals to put on more weight under stressful circumstances. While others may add less weight or some times even lose weight under stress.
The study suggested that stress reduction may be an important part of weight-loss programs in the workplace and in clinical and public health programs. In the workplace, access to weight-loss programs, flexible work schedules and exercise equipment can help stressed-out workers.
“This is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between stress and weight gain,” Block said. “Our findings show that stress should be recognized as a threat to the well-being of adults, especially those who are already overweight.
Here is your free guide to healthful cooking. For more information about some of the causes of childhood obesity visit Facts About Childhood Obesity.
