Part 1: Stress and Weight Gain
The hormones implicated in the weight gain response that some individuals experience when stressed are adrenaline, CRH or corticotropin-releasing hormone, and cortisol. This response is an evolutionary adaptation to cope with high energy expenditure of human’s hunter-gatherer ancestor, but it modern day, this response is due to psychological stressors from chronic worry and anxiety from daily life. The problem with this adaptation in modern humans is that the hormones do not have the same effect it once did, which was to provide energy for a hunt and subsequently replenish the body. However, the modern human neither expels a lot of energy nor needs the amount of replenishment once needed. Instead, those fat stores get deposited in belly fat which perpetuates the cycle of further cortisol getting released into the body which slows metabolism and again signals the body to replenish. The cycle of stress and weight gain is further complicated by the cravings for “comfort” food, another consequence of cortisol in the system asking for more fat and sugar. Plus, there are more blood vessels running through fat tissue, so more cortisol can be released and absorbed here. When we choose to eat those “comfort” foods, we are helping the cycle to continue which has dramatic effects on weight and further adds to the stress that is causing the weight gain in the first place.
Part 2: Blood Sugar Regulation
The pathway described in the article from the DUJS reiterates much of what the previous two articles explained. Cortisol is released from the adrenal cortex in response to several other hormones released from the hypothalamus. The difference in this article is the regard for cortisol. Where the two previous articles describe cortisol released in times of stress and the effects compounded due to chronic stress, DUJS focuses on the microbiology involved including how the cortisol interacts with other molecules in the body and its roles like regulating insulin and ions in the body. The mechanisms are much more complex than what first appears, and although the metabolic system is mainly affected, cortisol has further reaching effects. Similar stressors as mentioned in the previous articles influence the cortisol-insulin pathway, which is generally a physical stressor where the cortisol is released to restore homeostasis. The release of these hormones as described by the DUJS have mainly the same health-risk factors, although DUJS goes further than simply commenting on the metabolic health-risks. Effects on memory, ion regulation, and immune response are also mentioned.
Part 3: Conclusions
The short- and long-term effects of stress are numerous. Because of the complex pathways of the hormones released due to stress, it is no wonder the havoc stress can wreak on a body. The metabolic system suffers quite significantly due to stress, both short-term and long-term, but long-term stress tends to accumulate in the fat cells of the body which further perpetuates the cycle of cortisol release and fat accumulation. Unfortunately, because of the role cortisol plays in protecting the body by attempting to achieve homeostasis by providing stores of glucose, chronic stress seems to obscure recognition that there is already a surplus of those fat stores. Although cortisol attempts to regulate insulin, it only adds to the growing fat. The problem with this is that the excess fat deposits can have dire consequences on the cardiovascular system, which is a peripheral consequence of chronic stress. What’s more, short-term leads to the cravings for poor food choices, which will lead to a plethora of health problems associated with high fat, high sugar, and high salt diets. Processed and unhealthy food choices only further the production of fat which produces more cortisol and other psychological stressors. It is a vicious cycle that can and should be tackled through awareness of the pathways and through taking responsibility for and control over our behavior.
