Diet Strategies: Stress and Fat  

Stress and Fat

(Courtesy of Prevention Magazine)

Researchers recently unmasked two of anxiety's hidden harmful effects: It keeps heart-damaging fats circulating longer in your bloodstream, and it may be a key force driving those who overeat at night.

Blood tests of 70 volunteers (age 40 to 61) showed that triglycerides (blood fats associated with heart attacks and stroke) stayed in the bloodstream about 15% longer when participants were stressed, says researcher Catherine M. Stoney, PhD, professor of psychology at Ohio State University. "This happened to everyone we tested."

Night Eating Syndrome

In a small Norwegian study, researchers found that women with "night eating syndrome" had abnormal hormonal responses to stress (Amer. Jour. of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Feb 2002).

Here's how to outwit these damaging stress effects.

If you snack on high-fat foods, or you overeat when tension is high, ease stressful feelings first. "Deep breathing, physical exercise, stroking your dog or cat, taking  long bath-whatever works for you is a good strategy," Dr. Stoney says. "Most of the mild stressors in our lives are here to stay. Our own negative thoughts often increase our sense of stress."

How to Beat It

If you chow down all night, an eating disorders program may help. You may have night eating syndrome if you consume at least half of your daily food after dinner, you can't fall or stay asleep, you eat when you wake up at night, you choose starches or sweets, and you don't want breakfast in the morning. Grethe S. Birketvedt, MD, PhD, a researcher at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, also suggests stress reduction and pleasant social activities in the evening. Some of her patients improve when they eat foods such as turkey and peanut butter that are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that helps you feel sleepy.

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