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Gotbig belly? It might be caused by stressSCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICEIn the world of metaphorical body image, apples are not the fruit ofchoice.People with apple shaped bodies — usually defined by a thick waist or a pot belly — are more likely to have the most dangerous kind of fat in their abdominal cavities than those with a pear shape, in other words, those who carry their weight in their thighs, hipsand butts.The difference between the two phy siques may be a matter of stress.Recent research has suggested that abdominal fat is related to a hormone released when we’re under stress, and now University of California. San Francisco researchers want to study stress relief techniques and body fat using 50 overweight women.The goal isn't necessarily to help the women lose weight, but to see if eas ing stress helps reduce abdominal fat — and lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes“We hope they will lose fat in gen eral, but we re not as concerned with whether they lose weight as read on a scale, said Elissa Epel, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCSF and an expert on the physiological effects of stress. “We are really focusing on improving these women’s health through reducing their visceral fat. Where you store the fat is really tm portant.”The fat in a pot belly or a thick waist is not particularly unhealthy, Ms. Epel said. But having fat in both areas is a sign of too much visceral fat deep in the abdominal cavity, surrounding internal organs. Doctorsdon’t yet know exactly why visceral fat leads to a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes, but it could have to do with the proximity to the liver and a complex process that promotes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.A person doesn’t have to be over weight to have too much visceral fat. For example, a woman could be very lean but have a small pot belly that suggests visceral fat lies underneath. Asian Americans in particular are prone to putting on abdominal fat while still looking slender, doctors say. The key is to look at the waist to hip ratio — if the waist is wider than the hips, that could mean trouble.For years, researchers — along with pretty much anyone who’s ever tried to lose weight — have known there’s a tie between stress and fat. Ofcourse, everyone reacts to stress dif ferently, and the same stress that may drive one person to snack may make someone else lose his or her appetite for reasons that remain a mvsterv to researchersStill, many people overeat when they’re stressed, and they’re more likely to grab a bag of potato chips than baby carrots But only recently has the connection become better defined and identified as a complexbiochemical reaction.Specifically, cortisol, a hormone that is released when people are under stress, seems to work with insulin to create visceral fat, Ms. Epel said. At the same time, cortisol prompts people to crave “comfort foods” — anything with sugar or fat in it.At one time in human evolution, such a response to stress would havemade senseback when “stressmeant drought or famine, among other life threatening disasters, and sugary, fatty foods would supply energy need ed for survival, said Mary Dallman, a professor of physiology in the neu roscience program at UCSF. who has studied the effects of chronic stress A lot of the stress response seems to be about the body being prepared to fight or flight Your body is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, but our society has gotten a bit ahead of it. Ms. Dallman said. “You can work around (the stress response). You can go for a bike ride, read a book, get away from what's pissing you off And then after a little quiet time you can (safely) look at grabbing something and putting it into your mouth.”
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Annapolis Sunday Capital
Annapolis, Maryland, US
Sun, Feb 25, 2007
Page 45
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