Solid Evidence That Stress Causes Obesity

[haidut]

The statement in the title should be fairly obvious for most forum members or people following Peat's work. In fact, most endocrinologists are keenly aware of the role of stress and cortisol in causing obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. However, believe it or not, officially the FDA and other medical "authorities" on the subject deny that there is a causative link. I am hoping that this will soon begin to change as a result of long term studies like the one below now explicitly calling the connection between stress, cortisol and obesity a causative one.

Hair cortisol and adiposity in a population‐based sample of 2,527 men and women aged 54 to 87 years
Chronic stress may raise obesity risk

"...Researchers found that individuals who had persistently high levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol over long periods of time weighed more, had a higher body mass index (BMI), and a larger waist, compared with those who had low levels of the hormone. The study - led by Dr. Sarah Jackson from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom - was recently published in the journal Obesity. Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States, affecting more than a third of adults."

"...Compared with adults who had lower levels of hair cortisol, those who had higher levels were found to have a larger waist circumference, a higher BMI, and a heavier weight. Adults considered obese based on their BMI or waist circumference - defined as greater than 102 centimeters in men and greater than 88 centimeters in women - had the highest hair cortisol levels, the team reports. Based on their results, the researchers suggest long-term stress - as determined by cortisol levels in hair - may raise the risk of obesity."

"..."These results provide consistent evidence that chronic stress is associated with higher levels of obesity. People who had higher hair cortisol levels also tended to have larger waist measurements, which is important because carrying excess fat around the abdomen is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and premature death."

 

[jaa]

To play devil's advocate, what's to say that it isn't the obesity that is causing high levels of cortisol? If cortisol was something this community viewed as a beneficial hormone I bet this would be seen as the body upregulating the beneficial hormone as a compensatory reaction.

 

[Westside PUFAs]

Those studies don't know what the people ate.

Also, stressed people tend to eat more high pleasure inducing foods such as pizza, ice cream, doughnuts, cheeseburgers, fried foods, oily foods and oily condiments like mayonnaise and cheese. The classic "comfort foods."

Fat cells don't get filled up just because of stress. Calories don't come from air. You can have the most stress free environment; perfect clean food, sunlight, daily massages, wealth, family, love, sex, entertainment and you can still become obese, a.k.a., enlarge your adipose tissue, simply by what you swallow everyday month after month, all the while having the lowest stress hormones ever.

You highlighted this part:

carrying excess fat around the abdomen is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and premature death."

but that goes against many of your other posts on obesity. So which ones do you believe?

.

 

[Tenacity]

To play devil's advocate, what's to say that it isn't the obesity that is causing high levels of cortisol? If cortisol was something this community viewed as a beneficial hormone I bet this would be seen as the body upregulating the beneficial hormone as a compensatory reaction.

 

[haidut]

Those studies don't know what the people ate.

Also, stressed people tend to eat more high pleasure inducing foods such as pizza, ice cream, doughnuts, cheeseburgers, fried foods, oily foods and oily condiments like mayonnaise and cheese. The classic "comfort foods."

Fat cells don't get filled up just because of stress. Calories don't come from air. You can have the most stress free environment; perfect clean food, sunlight, daily massages, wealth, family, love, sex, entertainment and you can still become obese, a.k.a., enlarge your adipose tissue, simply by what you swallow everyday month after month, all the while having the lowest stress hormones ever.

You highlighted this part:



but that goes against many of your other posts on obesity. So which ones do you believe?

.

Well, the other studies on the "obesity paradox" did not look at what type of obesity it was. They just said that being obese is protective in critical situation. So, a good portion of them could have had non-central obesity, which is not nearly as bad as central. I am not advocating being obese, but if you are obese it better be mostly subcutaneous fat like the sumo wrestlers instead of central/visceral fat. Central obesity is correlated with bad health mostly because of the link with cortisol and estrogen. These steroids are the real bad boys, the central obesity if just a symptom of their elevation. But I would still aim for less overall body fat as long as that can be achieved by speeding up metabolism and not with additional stress like exhausting exercise.

 

[haidut]

At some point it does become a positive feedback cycle. But in order for central obesity to form, cortisol is usually involved as a cause. The study specifically focused on the link between central obesity and cortisol. It would have been nice if they controlled for peripheral obesity and see how much of central obesity is due to cortisol. But like I said in my original post, the causative link between cortisol and central obesity is very well known in the endocrinology field. The controversial topic is how much of that elevation of cortisol and subsequent obesity can be caused by chronic stress. Most endocrinologists believe(d) that if you have high cortisol there is some other issue and stress does not matter much. I think the key message here is that a pure environmental and external cause (stress) can cause obesity as opposed to an organic disorder like Cushing syndrome.

 

[Tenacity]

At some point it does become a positive feedback cycle. But in order for central obesity to form, cortisol is usually involved as a cause. The study specifically focused on the link between central obesity and cortisol. It would have been nice if they controlled for peripheral obesity and see how much of central obesity is due to cortisol. But like I said in my original post, the causative link between cortisol and central obesity is very well known in the endocrinology field. The controversial topic is how much of that elevation of cortisol and subsequent obesity can be caused by chronic stress. Most endocrinologists believe(d) that if you have high cortisol there is some other issue and stress does not matter much. I think the key message here is that a pure environmental and external cause (stress) can cause obesity as opposed to an organic disorder like Cushing syndrome.

Do you think that excess cortisol causes obesity by suppressing the metabolic rate, or by encouraging over-eating? Or both? The only thing that can cause weight gain is caloric excess, or is that an outdated viewpoint?

 

[haidut]

Do you think that excess cortisol causes obesity by suppressing the metabolic rate, or by encouraging over-eating? Or both? The only thing that can cause weight gain is caloric excess, or is that an outdated viewpoint?

Excess cortisol does not cause overeating, quite to the contrary - it is well known and undisputed that cortisol suppresses appetite because it raises blood sugar. Cortisol does lower metabolism and also raises estrogen. In addition, cortisol suppresses gonadal function, neurosteroid synthesis, and atrophies muscle tissue (which is the primary factor in RMR).

 

[REOSIRENS]

Excess cortisol does not case overeating, quite to the contrary - it is well known and undisputed that cortisol suppresses appetite because it raises blood sugar. Cortisol does lower metabolism and also raises estrogen. In addition, cortisol suppresses gonadal function, neurosteroid synthesis, and atrophies muscle tissue (which is the primary factor in RMR).

I have no doubt about it!

 

[Giraffe]

Deconstructing the roles of glucocorticoids in adipose tissue biology and the development of central obesity

In this article possible mechanisms by which glucocorticoids cause central obesity are discussed. There is no doubt that they do, but it seems that the mechanism is incompletely understood.

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Could de-stressing the brain be the solution for long-term weight loss? - PubMed - NCBI

The obese brain is stressed and inflamed. This is mainly at the level of neurons and glial cells in the hypothalamus: a brain region where the adipokine leptin acts to control feeding and body weight. Relieving hypothalamic neuronal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with the natural small molecule drugs celastrol or withaferin-A reverses the leptin resistance commensurate with obesity, producing a degree of weight loss found only with bariatric surgery. Here, recent evidence from rodent models of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is brought to the fore which suggests that this particular bariatric surgical procedure may work in a similar fashion to celastrol and withaferin-A alongside remedying hypothalamic inflammation and gliosis. Thus, restoring and preserving healthy hypothalamic neuronal and glial cell function, be it by pharmacological or surgical means, ensures a negative energy balance in an environment constructed to promote a one - possibly through re-establishing communication between adipose tissue and the brain.

 

[LucH]

Explanation why Stress keeps you from losing weight
On the one hand, cortisol has a hyperglycemic action, that is to say that it raises the level of sugar in the blood by promoting its synthesis in the liver from the amino acids released by the catabolism of the proteins it causes. So here, it is preventive (protection of the species) to mitigate a possible lack of glucose. The body will then reconstitute fuel reserves by producing glycogen, which it will store, if necessary.

But, on the other hand, adrenaline, norepinephrine also promote lipolysis or fat oxidation, which helps destock fat reserves of the body.

Weight gain?
Cortisol counteracts lipolysis, in the way it prevents the body from carburizing with lipids properly. You will not burn or not burn fat very well. Cortisol can mobilize triglycerides but these fats will then often be relocated into visceral adipose cells (thick layer in the abdomen, forming unsightly folds). (4)

You will store ... That's why we often hear: "If you stress, you will make bad fat! "

But what more!
That's not all: When you secrete cortisol, you also release free fatty acids (5). Cortisol therefore causes a triple action.

We take back:
These effects include stimulation of gluconeogenesis (transformation of amino acids into glucose), mobilization of amino acids from muscle tissue (to serve as a raw material in gluconeogenesis), inhibition of glucose uptake into tissues muscle and adipose (fat). All this will lead to an increase in the level of sugar in the blood and the stimulation of fat breakdown from adipose tissue. Unfortunately, fatty acids released by lipolysis (FFA = Free Fatty Acids) have a detrimental effect on health, if it occurs regularly, as they reduce the cellular sensitivity to insulin, a condition that may be the precursor of diabetes. Cortisol also has anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties - which are important in regulating the normal immune system reactions.

Note: When you stress, the body needs 90’ to recover and return to glycolysis.

Sources and References:
Cortisol stress connection and weight gain (in French)
Stress & cortisol: Prise de poids et effets délétères

Links:
Cortisol-glycémie-le-cortisol-comme-chef-d’orchestre (in French)
Cortisol inhibits lipase
Ray Peat, PhD on Low Blood Sugar & Stress Reaction – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Could de-stressing the brain be the solution for long-term weight loss? - PubMed - NCBI

The obese brain is stressed and inflamed. This is mainly at the level of neurons and glial cells in the hypothalamus: a brain region where the adipokine leptin acts to control feeding and body weight. Relieving hypothalamic neuronal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with the natural small molecule drugs celastrol or withaferin-A reverses the leptin resistance commensurate with obesity, producing a degree of weight loss found only with bariatric surgery. Here, recent evidence from rodent models of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is brought to the fore which suggests that this particular bariatric surgical procedure may work in a similar fashion to celastrol and withaferin-A alongside remedying hypothalamic inflammation and gliosis. Thus, restoring and preserving healthy hypothalamic neuronal and glial cell function, be it by pharmacological or surgical means, ensures a negative energy balance in an environment constructed to promote a one - possibly through re-establishing communication between adipose tissue and the brain.

Need to tag @Terma and @Sativa here. It's interesting for you since Withaferin A is a potent Rapamycin-Mimeticon, see the connection with leptin resistance in this publication. mTor/AMPK-Dualism BRain/Body

 

[Terma]

Need to tag @Terma and @Sativa here. It's interesting for you since Withaferin A is a potent Rapamycin-Mimeticon, see the connection with leptin resistance in this publication. mTor/AMPK-Dualism BRain/Body

Thanks! That covers quite a bit (the TRPV(4) alone is of interest to me, though it goes quite a bit further than that article) and I remember exactly what you might be talking about since you mention it: Single Rapamycin Administration Induces Prolonged Downward Shift in Defended Body Weight in Rats (I didn't follow the set-point trail, simply because I found satiety to be handled well enough by histidine and lysine, even though they may be different mechanisms - I think taurine also). I'll check it out in more detail later - it doesn't cover all angles so I see more rabbit holes.

 

[SQu]

The obese brain is stressed and inflamed. This is mainly at the level of neurons and glial cells in the hypothalamus: a brain region where the adipokine leptin acts to control feeding and body weight. Relieving hypothalamic neuronal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with the natural small molecule drugs celastrol or withaferin-A reverses the leptin resistance commensurate with obesity, producing a degree of weight loss found only with bariatric surgery. Here, recent evidence from rodent models of vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) is brought to the fore which suggests that this particular bariatric surgical procedure may work in a similar fashion to celastrol and withaferin-A alongside remedying hypothalamic inflammation and gliosis. Thus, restoring and preserving healthy hypothalamic neuronal and glial cell function, be it by pharmacological or surgical means, ensures a negative energy balance in an environment constructed to promote a one - possibly through re-establishing communication between adipose tissue and the brain.

Thank you! Fascinating. Please elaborate. For example, is it worth considering a high quality ashwaghanda? There is something called KSM 66.
I have read the full study and done some more searching, but found nothing more about these herbs that would be useful for this purpose. I see celastrol is called dangerous.

 

[LeeLemonoil]

Pure Withaferin A seems only obtainable for researchers, so high quality Ashwaghanda seems the only Option. I’ve only read the abstract, can’t elaborate or say what doses are needed

 

[SQu]

Thanks for your reply. I've seen it for sale for a fortune . Like about $100 for 20/25g. And warnings about it being dangerous.The full study adds no more detail to the abstract.

I wonder about tinctures. If not of the thunder vine, maybe the ashwaganda. And general inflammation lowering. The more I learn through experience and reading the more I focus on the gut and that of course is all about inflammation lowering because of endotoxin. Does it all come back to endotoxin? Even inflammation of the hypothalamus? (I'm bugging you about it @LeeLemonoil, because of your herbal angle!)