New Findings on the Effects of Stress and Inflammation in Obese Individuals

Overweight and obese individuals, as you know, are at a much higher risk of developing a host of health complications and diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease than people who are at a normal weight.

However, new research indicates that the weight itself might not be the only factor. You hear about it all the time, emotional stress impacts physical stress on the body, commonly referred to as the “mind-body connection”. Well, a new study published in the Journal of Brain, Behavior and Immunity suggests that the biochemical response to emotional stress is stronger in overweight individuals than those at a normal weight, which increases their risks even more for developing chronic illnesses

The explanation for this lies in a specific protein in the blood, called interleukin-6, which promotes inflammation in the body. This particular protein is associated with conditions that obesity itself can lead to, such as hardening of the arteries, type 2 diabetes, cancer and fatty liver disease. In this study, the researchers placed a variety of people of different body sizes in two stressful situations (a high pressured job interview and a difficult oral math exercise) on two consecutive days and then took blood samples to see how the stress affected each individual’s blood chemistry. Prior to the study, lean people started off with lower amounts of interleukin-6 than overweight people. Though both overweight and lean individuals exhibited similar biochemical responses to the stress on day one, the amounts of interleukin-6 nearly doubled in overweight people on day two, whereas levels remained the same in the lean individuals.

So what exactly does this mean? Every person experiences stress and everyone responds the same biochemically on the first day exposed to a stressful situation. Yet, the increased levels of interleukin-6 that overweight individuals experienced as the stress continues implies that overweight and obese people are more drastically impacted by repeated stress than those at a normal weight and recover from that stress at a slower rate. Interestingly, the greater the body fat, the higher the interleukin-6 response making these individuals even more susceptible to inflammation and disease.

If you are struggling with overweight or obesity, you are already at an increased risk for developing health complications, but there are ways you can help yourself deal with stress to best manage how your body physically responds to it. If you find yourself faced with a stressful situation, try the following tips:

? Engage in relaxation techniques such as mediation or deep breathing.

? Take 5 minutes to decompress and tune into your body by utilizing heat wraps, warm baths or even just laying down and closing your eyes.

? Go for a walk, read a book or do any activity that will relax you and take your mind off of the stressful feeling.

For more information on how to manage the stress in your life, check out “10 Surefire Ways to Beat the Stress WITHOUT the Weight Gain” for more in depth education on how to control your stress AND your weight.

Your turn to take action: What are some ways you help yourself deal with stress?