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Long term stress leads to obesity, says study
Posted on: 28/Feb/2017 9:42:20 AM
Researchers from the University College London (UCL) in the UK have conducted a study which says that people who suffer long-term stress may also be more prone to obesity.
The researchers examined hair samples for levels of cortisol, a hormone which regulates the body`s response to stress. The research involved 2,527 men and women aged 54 and older taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, taking data over a four-year period. In the research, the scientists took a lock of hair 2cm long from each participant which was cut as close possible to a person`s scalp - this represented about two months` hair growth with associated accumulated levels of cortisol. They also examined the participants` weight, body mass index and waist circumference and how hair cortisol related to the persistence of obesity over time. They found that people who had higher levels of cortisol present in their hair tended to have larger waist circumference measurements, were heavier and had a higher body mass index (BMI).
Say the researchers, Individuals classified as obese on the basis of their BMI (30) or waist circumference (102cm in men, 88cm in women) had particularly high levels of hair cortisol. These results provide consistent evidence that chronic stress is associated with higher levels of obesity. People who had higher hair cortisol levels also tended to have larger waist measurements, which is important because carrying excess fat around the abdomen is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. Hair cortisol is a relatively new measure which offers a suitable and easily obtainable method for assessing chronically high levels of cortisol concentrations in weight research and may therefore aid in further advancing understanding in this area.
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