If you're thinking stress increases your metabolism, think again. Researchers are now claiming stressful events actually lower the body's metabolism rate and could possibly lead to significant weight gain over time.
Often referred to as "comfort foods." foods that are high in fat are oftentimes turned to by people in times of stress. A new study conducted by scientists at Ohio State University is claiming that people who go through one or more stressful events during a 24-hour period prior to eating a high-fat meal actually decrease the body's metabolism, leading to what could be a sizable weight gain over the course of a year.
For the study, the Ohio State University research team surveyed 58 women and questioned them on various stressful events they experienced from the day before. The women were then given a meal with 930 calories and 60 grams of fat. Each woman's metabolic rate was then measured via their respiration and the researchers also measured their blood sugar, insulin, triglycerides and the stress-related hormone cortisol.
The results showed that the women who reported more than one stress-related event from the previous day burned over 100 fewer calories than the nonstressed women within the seven hours that passed after consuming the high-fat meal. The researchers equated this to a metabolism change that could lead to an almost 11 pound weight gain within a year's time period.
"This means that, over time, stressors could lead to weight gain," explained study leader Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, professor of psychiatry and psychology at The Ohio State University and lead researcher. "We know from other data that we're more likely to eat the wrong foods when we're stressed, and our data say that when we eat the wrong foods, weight gain becomes more likely because we are burning fewer calories."
Another key finding in the study revolved around insulin levels in the women that participated. Researchers found that insulin in the more stressed women shot up right after they consumed the high-fat meal and then dropped to levels seen in nonstressed women after 90 minutes more had passed.
The study, which was published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, also discovered a link between a history of depression in some of the women and a quicker jump in triglycerides after the meal. Triglycerides are the main constituents of natural fats and oils. High concentrations of triglycerides in the blood can indicate an elevated risk of stroke.
"With depression, we found there was an additional layer. In women who had stress the day before and a history of depression, triglycerides after the meal peaked the highest," Kiecolt-Glaser added. "The double whammy of past depression as well as daily stressors was a really bad combination."
