Chronic Stress Tied to Obesity? Hey, Let’s Make Them Thin…

March 16, 2009

Chronic Stress Tied to Obesity? Hey, Let’s Make Them Thin…

So I was reading about a study that says kids of families with chronic stress were maybe a little more likely to be fat and wondering what else there is about chronic stress and being fat. I run into:

Researchers found a molecule the body releases when stressed called NPY (neuropeptide Y). NPY appears to unlock certain receptors in fat cells, causing them to grow in both size and number.

But the good news is that by blocking those Y2 receptors, researchers say they may be able to eventually develop new drugs to combat stress-related obesity.
– WebMD

Because the worst thing about chronic stress is that it might make someone fat. Nevermind what other damage chronic stress might be doing OR the other fallout from whatever’s causing the chronic stress (unemployment, underemployment, debt, crime, sick family members, abusive family members, racism, sexism, overwork) … no no no, the REAL problem is OMG TEH UGLY FAT!!!! *headdesk*

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4 responses to “Chronic Stress Tied to Obesity? Hey, Let’s Make Them Thin…”

caffeine

March 16, 2009 at 11:21 am

I saw something about the neuropeptide findings several years ago while I was in my dieting stage and it really struck me, mostly because at the time it meant that being fat might not be All My Fault. Given that I was a picked-on overachiever through school, isolated and depressed through college, and generally teeter on the verge of workaholism…yeah, if fat can be caused by stress, then I’m probably the poster child.

But even if they came up with some miracle medicine, how would you medicate for it? “Here, you look stressed, take this pill”? I think they’re missing the point. Like so many other diseases and conditions of which fat is a symptom, the real dangers have nothing to do with fat and are what should be really addressed.

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Patsy Nevins

March 16, 2009 at 1:24 pm

And fat is not always or even usually a ‘symptom’ of anything except one’s genetic makeup. Yes, I am fat & an abuse survivor, but I think that has more to do with the fact that virtually all the people on my mother’s side of the family have been thin than with the abuse. And the most stressed, overburdened person I personally know is the man I love, who is a lean, well-muscled former athlete who has never been fat in his life.

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Patsy Nevins

March 16, 2009 at 1:25 pm

Most of my mother’s family have been FAT, obviously. The greatest dysfunction & abuse came from my thin father & HIS relatives.

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Dave

October 12, 2009 at 7:44 am

I do so wish that we would quit trying to push another pill at another physical problem.

It has been shown that between 80% and 95% of all disease is caused by stress and how we handle it.

But, none of the pharmaceutical companies will acknowledge this because they cannot generate any income from meditation and stress relief.

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