Stressed Out? Move Away from the Doughnuts!
This bit of science news made complete sense to me once I heard it. The Washington Post reports that researchers -- using mice as subjects (because they are so much like humans inside their furry little bodies) -- have discovered that living a high-stress lifestyle, accompanied by a junk-food diet, is one sure way to pack on the pounds.
"There is a lot of uncontrollable stress right now in our societies. There's also a lot of inexpensive high-fat food," said Mary F. Dallman of the University of California at San Francisco, who co-wrote a commentary accompanying the research. "This could help explain the obesity epidemic."
Well, duh! They could have just come and asked me about this. After the birth of every child... every time my wife goes on a monthlong research trip and I have to handle the whole kit and kaboodle... while watching the Red Sox play the Yankees in September... I EAT. And I don't eat healthily. I'm hurried and hassled and flummoxed and I grab the Oreos and eat the entire pack. Or make multiple trips to McDonald's.
The researchers say a nasty little substance triggers all this -- neuropeptide Y. But they also found a way to block its effect on mice "even if they were stressed and ate a high-fat diet -- and could shrink fat deposits by 40 percent to 50 percent within two weeks." I sense a new diet pill coming soon.
Maybe yoga or a little mediation and exercise might be better, eh.
12:36 PM ET | 07- 2-2007 | permalink
