Stress Makes You Fat. But how?

A lot of stress means a lot of kilos. But what exactly does stress-related weight gain look like: do you eat worse when you're under pressure? Do you maybe have less time per meal and just gobble something up?That probably plays a role for some people. But a recent experiment showed that even if you eat the same diet, stress makes you fat. Metabolism is to blame.

Mice In The Stress Test    

A group of researchers at the University of Minnesota published an interesting experimental result in 2016. The biologists had stressed male mice and measured the activity of various genes in the animals. The result: In contrast to their relaxed conspecifics, the stress mice changed their sugar balance - with the same amount of food.

Your liver and muscle cells responded significantly less to insulin, so they absorbed less sugar. The fat cells, on the other hand, continued to store happily. At the same time, the animals steadily reduced muscle mass. At least in mice, weight gain due to stress is not related to diet. In addition, some of the stressed mice developed diabetes.

Does That Also Apply To Us?

If we humans have a similar mechanism, then that would explain why many people refuse to lose weight despite dieting: They put too much pressure on themselves. On the other hand, the Minnesota experiment also suggests an antidote. If you get rid of the stress, your metabolism will return to normal.

If you suspect that stress is destroying your figure and health, you could stop weighing yourself and counting calories. Instead, there is meditation, yoga, a hammock, long walks or some other relaxation program. Then, when the stress slowly subsides, the stress-related weight gain is over.

Does that mean you should stop dieting? Maybe yes. A slow, stress-free change in diet is not only more pleasant, it also works much better.