Prevention the Sugar Solution by The Editors of Prevention

Author:The Editors of Prevention
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2006-05-09T04:00:00+00:00

The Weight-Loss Bonus

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and chronic stress is part of the cause. Elevated levels of cortisol have been linked to increases in body fat and a decreased ability to sleep, so the body has less energy to exercise and craves more quick-fix snacks. Research has shown that big-league stressors—like a lousy marriage or messy divorce—compound weight issues, regardless of what you eat and how much you exercise.

Lowering stress can allow you to slip an ancient weight trap, say University of California, San Francisco, researchers who’ve found that tension compels mammals to eat sugary, fatty, high-calorie foods. In prehistoric times, anxious eating may have been a smart survival strategy. Your agitated ancestors grabbed berries after the tigers slunk away; you head for the candy machine after the boss roars. “You need to refuel for the next crisis,” explains study coauthor Norman Pecoraro, PhD. Researchers found that stress prompts rats to release hormone signals for high-calorie eating. The eat-eat-eat signal stopped only when the rats had stored the extra calories as tummy fat. Pecoraro says it’s a surprisingly similar scenario in humans.

Cutting stress can also help prevent dreaded weight regain. In a recent study, psychologists checked up on the moods, stress, and eating habits of 69 women who had just dropped pounds. Women who felt most stressed were most likely to have regained their weight within 18 months. “Incorporating stress- and mood-management techniques into weight-loss programs may help prevent or delay weight regain that occurs as a result of poor coping and/or increased high-risk or unhealthy behaviors,” says researcher Paula Rhode, PhD, a psychologist in the University of Kansas School of Medicine’s preventive medicine program.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.