Stress Eating Stresses our Insulin Response

Stress is the way that our body reacts to any change that requires an adjustment or response. Sometimes our reaction is minor, causing no obvious symptoms. However, sometimes our body’s response is much more significant and this stress manifests in a number of different ways – physically, mentally and emotionally. While the human body is designed to experience and react to stress, too much continuous negative stress without any periods of relief or relaxation between them can have a profound effect on our wellbeing. Sometimes this causes us to change our usual behaviors. Many people who experience continued high levels of stress seek to comfort themselves through what is known as stress-eating.

 

What is stress eating?

Someone who stress eats may also be referred to as an emotional or comfort eater. This means that they view eating as a way to suppress or soothe the negative emotions that they are experiencing. Although in the short term, stress can suppress hunger, this cannot be sustained forever. The adrenal glands eventually produce the hormone cortisol which boosts appetite and increases our motivation to eat. When we stress eat, we are particularly drawn towards foods that are high in fat or sugar which is believed to have a feedback effect that helps to dampen stress-related responses.

 

Stress eating and insulin response

Stress eating has also been shown to have a direct effect on our insulin response. This is thought to be because chronic stress, when combined with a high-fat diet, makes it harder for insulin to work properly. This occurs due to a molecule in the brain called neuropeptide Y or NPY. NPY is considered to control the stress-eating phenomenon. NPY neurons have receptors for insulin and studies have found that the NPY pathways are unregulated for insulin during times of stress. This enables insulin levels to increase to a point where the neurons become insulin resistant. Once the neurons become resistant to insulin, NYP levels further increase causing us to eat more to consume energy in the form of additional calories.

 

Weight gain

As we know, eating more calories than our body needs to function during the day means that the remaining calories will be stored as energy. In most instances, this means additional fat, and this causes us to gain weight. Experts believe that the insulin resistance that occurs as a result of stress eating is one of the key causes of rapid weight gain at that time.

 

Can fat gained as a result of stress eating be eliminated?

Traditional diet and exercise can help patients to shift the additional fat that they have gained as a result of stress eating, but predictably, it can take weeks and even months to get back to their original weight and shape. Fortunately, there are other options that can speed up the process with one of the most popular being laser lipo using red light therapy. This works by heating and liquifying the fat within fat cells so that they are destroyed and are metabolized by the body. Red light therapy has been shown to be effective at helping patients to lose weight more quickly and see a much more rapid improvement in their appearance.

If you would like more information about the link between stress and stress eating and weight gain, or if you would like to find out more information about red light therapy, please don’t hesitate to give our team a call.