Researchers from the United States have found that one or more stressful events during the day may eventually lead to extra weight in women. This is especially true if she has a craving for junk food, rich in calories and fat.
A team of scientists from Ohio State University led by Professor Jan Kiecolt-Glaser concluded that the link between stress and excess weight is mostly observed in women, although the researchers believe that it is true for men, as well. In the course of the study, the experts found that the day after stress, the female body burns calories slower than the body of a woman who wasn’t stressed. For a year, a woman may accumulate 4.5-5 extra pounds (9-11 lb), the experts estimated.
The study involved 58 women aged about 53. Under the supervision of specialists, they ate high-calorie fatty foods. The participants of the study also underwent a survey to determine depression symptoms and stress during the previous day.
After the meal, the researchers regularly measured their metabolic rate for seven hours, which allowed to establish that women who had experienced stress, had a slower metabolic rate. Along the way, it was found that the women who had experienced stress showed higher levels of blood insulin, which, in turn, contributes to body fat accumulation and prevents fat oxidation, slowing its digestion and excretion. This, in turn, results in weight gain.
