Stress: a factor in abdominal weight gain

Stress can affect virtually any part of the body and produce
physical, mental and emotional symptoms including allergies, dizziness,
headache, heart palpitations, environmental sensitivity, impaired
coordination, impaired immunity and weight gain.


In a healthy body, carbohydrates are converted to glucose and a blood
glucose level of 60-120mg/dl is maintained without thought to the
dietary consumption of carbohydrate. In the glucose intolerant
population, carbohydrates are readily converted to glucose and the
pancreas responds to this shift in blood sugar by secreting an excessive
amount of the hormone, insulin. Insulin’s job is to remove the glucose
from the blood stream and help it to enter the body cells. If done
properly, the blood glucose level returns to the normal range regardless
of the amount of carbohydrate consumed. If this system is not working
correctly, a quick rise in blood glucose followed by an over production
of insulin occurs. The excessive insulin is not recognized by the body
cells so is unable to remove the glucose from the blood stream. The
result is an increase in blood insulin levels, which has an appetite
stimulating effect.

Weight gain is often associated with emotional eating and the
too-busy-to-exercise lifestyles of people under chronic stress. But
researchers are finding that changes in the body triggered by stress,
such as elevated cortisol levels, can cause insulin resistance and
weight gain.

Under stress, the body excretes corticotrophin-releasing hormone and
adrenalin. This reaction stimulates the release of cortisol from the
adrenal cortex. In turn, cortisol, a glucocorticoid, stimulates glucose
release into the bloodstream, which, during periods of chronic stress,
creates an excessive release of insulin. Insulin, which is part of the
endocrine system, is a fat-storage hormone that overrides the stress
signal from adrenalin to burn fat. The excess release of insulin gives
the body the message to store fat in the abdomen.

Consider the types of food women crave when stressed—carbohydrate-rich
and often sugary comfort foods. Stress drives the carbohydrate cravings.
This, combined with the hyperinsulinemic (insulin resistance) state
that many people are in, creates the recipe for weight gain. Chronic
stress is a big piece to the obesity puzzle that has 50 percent of
people overweight and another 29 percent obese. French fries, chocolate
bars, and ice cream are some of the common comfort foods that people
gravitate towards and reach for when stressed.

The problem is not simply that people are eating too many carbohydrates
and thus if they starve their bodies of these foods they will become
lean and healthy again. The body needs carbohydrates for brain fuel,
fiber and phyto-nutrients. Rather, the metabolic dysfunction in
processing carbohydrates needs to be corrected.

Also Read: Three tried and true tactics that really will shrink your belly
Also Read: Beta-blockers: dampening the body's ability to burn fat
Also Read: Increasing overall Flexibility

Also Read: How to eat like an Olympic gold medallist

Learning Ways to Handle Stress
• Write down your food intake such as what foods you eat and quantities
you eat when stressed. This can be a helpful objective measure of what
to cut down in future.

• Develop health munching habits.

• Talk about it.

• Laugh it off

• Exercise

• Be Creative

• Plan and prioritize

• Think positive

• Be kind to yourself

• Thank God for all that you have

• Practice Relaxation

Nutrients to Handle Stress
• B Vitamins- especially B3,B6, B12. Recommended
niacin(B3) levels vary for a variety of age groups but fall between 25
and 100 mg/day. The recommended dosage of vitamin B6 is usually 20­50
mg/day. Vitamin B12 is essential for nerve-tissue metabolism and is
necessary for a healthy nervous system because it nourishes the myelin
sheath that insulates nerve conduction. The recommended dosage of
vitamin B12 is 100 mcg/day.

• De-Hydro Epi Androsterone (DHEA) - The normal DHEA
dose is 25-50 mg/day, but doses ideally should be individualized because
there is no established RDI for this supplement.

• Vitamin C- The most common vitamin C dose is 250 mg/day, but doses up to 2 g/day may be necessary.

• Relora is a new agent developed by plant-based
extraction from the Magnoliaceae plant family. After the two weeks on
relora, 80 percent said they felt more relaxed, and 75 percent said that
they had a more restful sleep. This study is not yet published
Recently, an independent research firm commissioned by a relora
manufacturer administered 50 dietary supplements users with 2­3
capsules, each containing 200 mg relora, daily for two weeks. The
subjects were professional women who stated they lived busy and
stressful lives.

• Panax Ginseg (Panax quinquifolium). The recommended
dose of ginseng is 200­600 mg/day, standardized to contain at least 5
percent ginsenosides. As stress support, ginseng is traditionally used
in a regimen of three weeks on, two weeks off. It may take several weeks
for a clinical effect to become apparent.

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root. The recommended dose of
ashwagandha is 450 mg, two to three times daily, standardized to contain
1.5 percent withanolides per dose.

• Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea), or Arctic root. Current
accepted practices suggest 50­100 mg twice daily, standardized to
contain 1 percent salidrosid or 40 to 50 percent phenylpropenoids per
dose.

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum), also known as tulsi or
sweet basil. Current accepted practice recommends holy basil doses of
400 mg daily, standardized to contain 1 percent ursolic acid per dose.


Stress is a normal part of life. What really matters are how
much stress, what kind of stress, and ultimately how each individual
handles the stress they face. Long-term stress takes a physical toll
because the body tries to find ways to adjust to metabolic changes. If
lifestyle modifications do not work—leaving a stressful job, exercise,
meditation—then biochemical and nutritional factors may be useful.
Pharmacists can educate their customers about nutritional therapy and
have a lasting influence on their health.