Psychosocial stress and central adiposity: A Brazilian study with a representative sample of the public health system users

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the association between indicators of psychosocial stress and central adiposity in adult users of the Unified Health System (SUS) from Southeast of Brazil.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted with 384 adults (20 to 59 years old) from the city of Alegre, Southeastern Brazil. The simple random sample represented the population using the public health system of the municipality. The prevalence of obesity was based on the Body Mass Index, and central adiposity (dependent variable) was measured by waist circumference in centimeters. The independent variables were the following indicators of psychosocial stress: food and nutrition insecurity (yes/no), serum cortisol (μg/dL), symptoms suggestive of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II ≥ 17 (yes/no), and altered blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg (yes/no). Univariate linear regression was performed between central adiposity and each stress indicator, and later the models were adjusted for socioeconomic, health, and lifestyle variables. All analyses were made separately by rural and urban location.ResultsThe prevalence of weight excess, by the classification of the Body Mass Index ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, was 68.3% and, by waist circumference, 71.5% of individuals presented an increased risk for metabolic complications related to central adiposity. Mean waist circumference scores for the rural and urban population were 89.3 ± 12.7 cm and 92.9 ± 14.7 cm, respectively (p = 0.012). Indicators of stress that were associated with central adiposity were: cortisol in the rural population (β = -0.60; 95% CI = -1.09;-0.11) and altered blood pressure in the urban population (β = 6.66; 95% CI = 2.14;11.18). This occurred both in the raw analysis and in the models adjusted for confounding factors.ConclusionCentral adiposity was inversely associated with cortisol in the rural population and directly associated with higher arterial blood pressure in the urban population, suggesting a local influence on how individuals react to stress.

Are the factors associated with overweight/general obesity and abdominal obesity different depending on menopausal status?

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From maternal glucocorticoid and thyroid hormones to epigenetic regulation of gene expression: an experimental study in a wild bird species

“…Nutritional or developmental stages may explain the relationship between body size and GCR expression. Food insecurity and malnutrition has been found to stimulate stress and increase cortisol levels in humans (Sawaya 2006; Freitas et al 2018), which in turn could influence stress hormone receptor expression (Cottrell & Seckl 2009). Alternatively, it may be that stress responsiveness, as altered GC-receptor expression, may influence energy resources allocated between stress and growth, seen as varying growth rates.…”

Alcohol consumption, depression, overweight and cortisol levels as determining factors for NR3C1 gene methylation

“…Excess weight is also related to chronic inflammation through NFκB pathways; however, no association between overweight and methylation status has been previously reported for the NR3C1 gene 62 . It is possible that hypomethylation of this region may be related to low-grade inflammation, a feature of the overweight state 63 .…”