Stress‐Related Changes in Body Form: Results from the Whitehall II Study

Abstract

ObjectiveStress is associated with body mass gain in some people, but with body mass loss in others. When the stressor persists, some people adapt with their stress responses whereas others don't. Heart-rate-variability (HRV) reflects ‘autonomic variability’ and is related to stress responses to psychosocial challenges. We hypothesized that the combined effects of ‘stress exposure’ and ‘autonomic variability’ predict long-term changes in body form.MethodsData of 1369 men and 612 women from the Whitehall II cohort were analyzed. Body-mass-index, hip-to-height-ratio and waist-to-height-ratio were measured at three time points over a ten-year period. HRV and ‘psychological distress’ (General-Health-Questionnaire) were assessed.ResultsMen with high psychological distress were at risk of developing an increased waist-to-height-ratio (F=3.4,P=0.038). Men with high psychological distress and low HRV were prone to develop an increased body mass and hip-to-height-ratio (psychological distress: F=4.3,P=0.016; HRV: F=5.0,P=0.008). We found statistical trends that women displayed similar patterns of stress-related changes in body form (P=0.061;P=0.063).ConclusionAssessing ‘psychological distress’ and ‘autonomic variability’ predicts changes in body form. Psychological distress was found associated with an increased risk of developing the ‘wide-waisted phenotype’, while psychological distress combined with low autonomic variability was associated with an increased risk of developing the ‘corpulent phenotype’.

Determinants of obesity in population of PURE study from Lower Silesia

“…In the Whitehall II Study, work stress was related to weight gain in men with higher BMI at baseline, while men with lower baseline BMI had increased likelihood of weight loss [21]. Probably changes in body form in relation to stress are different depending on personal habituation processes (autonomic variation and psychological distress) [22].…”

Ein konsequenter Ansatz, um endlich konservativ erfolgreich das Gewicht zu reduzieren

“…Stress und insbesondere chronischer Stress begünstigt u. a. wegen der kontrainsulinären Hormone Cortisol und Katecholamine die Insulinresistenz. Metabolisch folgt ein Circulus vitiosus, weil eine Gewöhnung an diese Hormone unerwartet niedrige Blutzuckerwerte nach sich ziehen kann, auf die das glukose-gierige Gehirn mit Fressattacken reagiert 7 , 10 .…”

Psychological stress, body shape and cardiovascular events: Results from the Whitehall II study

“…If uncertainty cannot be resolved, prolonged psychological stress can lead to an allostatic load that contributes to adverse biological effects on the body and brain [ 2 ]. Indeed, psychological stress has been shown to predict changes in body shape [ [3] , [4] , [5] ] and adverse health outcomes [ [6] , [7] , [8] , [9] , [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] , [17] ].…”

“…It is known that prolonged psychological stress predicts changes in body shape in two divergent ways [ [3] , [4] , [5] , 18 , 19 ]. More specifically, persistent psychological stress was associated with the risk of body mass loss in some people and the risk of body mass gain in others [ 3 , 5 ].…”