Stress and weight gain: Is there a connection?
Some people do tend to gain weight when under stress. When you're stressed out, you may find it more difficult to maintain healthy-eating habits. Also, many people may eat in an attempt to fulfill emotional needs during a particularly stressful time. These and other factors can contribute to stress-related weight gain.
However, some popular diet books suggest that a hormone — cortisol — secreted by your body during stress actually causes you to gain weight. It is true that prolonged exposure to very high levels of cortisol — such as due to Cushing's syndrome — can result in weight gain. Cushing's syndrome is a medical condition in which your adrenal glands make too much cortisol.
Emotional stress in some people may cause mild, temporary increases in cortisol. But there is no evidence that the amount of cortisol produced by a healthy individual under stress is enough to cause weight gain. Rarely, chronic stress — stress that lasts months or years, instead of days or weeks — may elevate cortisol levels sufficiently enough and for a long enough period to cause weight gain. A blood test can check your cortisol level.
Some people do tend to gain weight when under stress. When you're stressed out, you may find it more difficult to maintain healthy-eating habits. Also, many people may eat in an attempt to fulfill emotional needs during a particularly stressful time. These and other factors can contribute to stress-related weight gain.
However, some popular diet books suggest that a hormone — cortisol — secreted by your body during stress actually causes you to gain weight. It is true that prolonged exposure to very high levels of cortisol — such as due to Cushing's syndrome — can result in weight gain. Cushing's syndrome is a medical condition in which your adrenal glands make too much cortisol.
Emotional stress in some people may cause mild, temporary increases in cortisol. But there is no evidence that the amount of cortisol produced by a healthy individual under stress is enough to cause weight gain. Rarely, chronic stress — stress that lasts months or years, instead of days or weeks — may elevate cortisol levels sufficiently enough and for a long enough period to cause weight gain. A blood test can check your cortisol level.
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