Eating a high-fat meal after a stressful day slows down a woman's metabolism leading to higher weight gain, a new study finds.
It is no secret that the consumption of high-fat food results in weight gain. However, researchers of a new study found that stress aggravates the problem as it slows down digestion process.
The study participants, 58 women with an average age of 53 years, were asked to note down any and all stressors they experienced the previous day. Then the participants were given a meal consisting of 930 calories and 60 grams of fat. Using appropriate equipment, researchers measured their metabolic rate for 20 minutes of every hour for the next seven hours. They also made note of the participants' blood sugar, triglycerides, insulin and the stress hormone cortisol.
Researchers found that women who reported experiencing even one stressor in the last 24 hours burned 104 calories lesser than the non-stressed participants. This equates to a weight gain of 11 pounds a year. The researchers also found that women who experienced stress had higher insulin levels
"This means that, over time, stressors could lead to weight gain," said Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, lead author of the study, in a press statement. "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."
To regulate their food intake for 24 hours, the researchers supplied the participants with three standardized meals and instructed them to fast for 12 hours before reporting for their study visits. Following this the researchers noticed that thirty-one women reported at least one prior day stressor on one visit and 21 reported stressors at both visits. Six women reported no stressful event
The meal given by the researchers was made up of eggs, turkey sausage, biscuits and gravy; similar to a fat loaded junk food meal that one consumes on the go. The control for the trial was a random meal made up of healthy ingredients.
Surprisingly the differences in the meals had no effect on the outcomes. "We suspected that the saturated fat would have a worse impact on metabolism in women, but in our findings, both high-fat meals consistently showed the same results in terms of how stressors could affect their energy expenditure," said Ohio State nutritionist and co-author Professor Martha Belury.
According to a Mayo Clinic report, another reason why people under stress gain more weight is because they fail to eat healthy under stressful circumstances. Additionally, many stressed people tend to overeat in order to fulfil their "emotional needs."
Stress also increases the craving for junk food, better known as comfort food. Stress may mess up our brain's reward system or cortisol may cause us to crave more fat and sugar. We also may have memories from childhood, such as the smell of freshly baked cookies that lead us to associate sweet foods with comfort. When we are stressed, we also may be more likely to drive through the Fast Food place, rather than taking the time and mental energy to plan and cook a meal, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Stress also results in poor sleep quality and it has been established that less sleep leads to weight gain. A previous study found that sleep deprivation increases cravings for junk food, resulting in weight gain. Also, people who don't get proper sleep at night are more likely to reach out for an unhealthy midnight snack, leading to further weight issues.
"It's not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of sleep or good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly," explained Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep and the clinical director of the sleep division for Arrowhead Health in Glendale, Ariz, according to WebMD.
Findings of the current study were published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry. The project was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health, including funding of Ohio State's Center for Clinical and Translational Science, home to the Clinical Research Center.
