Fat Chance: New Fat Study is Still in the Lab

You probably caught yesterday's newswave on the link between fat and stress, based on a report in the journal Nature Medicine. Riveting reading; important science. Limited applicability to you. Let's dig in.

Bottom line first

Scientists may have discovered a mechanism by which junk food + stress becomes fat, at least in mice.

This study in 50 words or less

Researchers subjected mice to stress (standing in cold water an hour a day or being caged with an aggressive alpha for 10 minutes) and fed them high-sugar, high-fat diets. After two weeks, only those who ate junk food and were stressed got fat.

Yes but. . .

Needless to say: This was done on mice, not people. The mechanism of controlling the stress/fat interaction involves blocking certain neuropeptides, which may have unknown side effects when done on people. The researchers have applied for a patent and are pursuing commercial applications. Studies in people aren't expected to begin for two years.

So what are you going to do about it?

The behavioral implications of this research are suspect: If I control my stress, can I eat garbage and not gain weight? Data suggest otherwise.

Way far down the road, if this research pans out as the commercial boosters hope, there could be a shot or pill on the market that disrupts the process that makes stress + junk become belly fat. Then, as usual, we'll all have to look at the safety profile, the size of the benefit, which populations are best served, etc. We will inevitably be told we still need to eat healthy and get exercise.

Still, it's not a bad opportunity to take a look at the role of stress in your life if you're overweight or obese. A link between stress and obesity is fairly well established (if still controversial in some scientific quarters.)

So: Stop us if you've heard this before:

• Eat less crap.
• Get more exercise, which not only incinerates fat but moderates stress.
• Consider meditation or relaxation, which has been shown not only to reduce measurable stress but also confers cardiovascular benefits.
• Consider counseling to cope with major, chronic stressors like a troubled marriage or a bad boss.
• Eat less crap (oh, sorry, we already mentioned that).

Find a decent source on stress control and its relation to weight gain at about.com.