Life stress linked to weight gain in US population

by Poonam Singhal



Stressing out can cause people to gain weight, revealed by researchers. The study looked at the relationship between weight gain and multiple types of stress in the U.S. population.

Today's economy is stressing people out, and stress has been linked to a number of illnesses -such as heart disease, high blood pressure and increased risk for cancer.

Stress like job-related demands, difficulty paying bills, strained family relationships, depression or anxiety disorder are linked to weight gain and obesity.

This new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Women's waistlines are affected by more types of stress, according to the study, "Psychosocial Stress and Change in Weight Among U.S. Adults." In addition to weight gain associated with financial problems or a difficult job, women also added pounds when grappling with strained family relationships and feeling limited by life's circumstances.

Overall, this study found that people who reported increased psychological stress gained more weight if they already had higher body mass indexes (BMI). A similar weight-gain pattern was not found among lower-weight people who were dealing with the same types of stress, according to the study.

When coping with life's stressful periods, individuals may change their eating behaviors, which can lead to changes in weight. Stress-induced weight gain is influenced by a person's gender, what types of foods people eat when they change their eating behaviors, and whether the person is already overweight or obese. These factors may cause some people to gain more weight under stressful circumstances, while others may gain less weight or even lose weight when stressed.

Stress reduction may be an important part of weight-loss programs in the workplace and in clinical and public health programs, the study recommended. In the workplace, access to weight-loss programs, flexible work schedules and exercise programs can help stressed-out workers.

"This is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between stress and weight gain in a U.S. population," according to Jason Block, M.D., M.P.H., who conducted the research as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar® at Harvard University.

These findings show that stress should be recognized as a threat to the well-being of American adults, especially those who are already overweight.


(Poonam Singhal -- sub-editor compiled and published Life stress linked to weight gain in US population at HealthNewsTrack on July 8, 2009 sourced from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars Program - http://www.healthandsocietyscholars.org/)

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