Cortisol & Stress · 8 cited studies
Research on Cortisol, Stress & Metabolism
Chronic stress is the most-cited and least-treated metabolic variable. Epel 2000 (Psychosomatic Medicine) demonstrated that women with central adiposity show exaggerated cortisol response to lab stress. Björntorp's reviews frame HPA-axis dysregulation as a unifying driver of visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, and dyslipidaemia. Sapolsky's foundational glucocorticoid-signaling work explains the biology. Adam & Epel 2007 detail the reward-system biology of stress eating. Tomiyama 2010 showed that low-calorie dieting alone raises cortisol — relevant to repeat dieters who add restriction on top of an already-stressed system. Kiecolt-Glaser 2015 found stressors slow metabolic clearance of high-fat meals by ~104 kcal of equivalent expenditure. Geiker's 2018 review confirms stress is a moderator of weight-loss intervention success. Below: the cortisol/stress/metabolism literature.
- Moderate evidence2000
Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat
Epel ES et al. · Psychosomatic Medicine
Women with high central adiposity showed exaggerated cortisol response to lab stress vs lower-fat peers.
- Moderate evidence2000
Obesity and cortisol
Björntorp P, Rosmond R · Nutrition
Reviews HPA-axis dysregulation as a driver of visceral adiposity and metabolic syndrome.
Cortisol & StressSource ↗ - Moderate evidence2007
Stress, eating and the reward system
Adam TC, Epel ES · Physiology & Behavior
Chronic stress potentiates reward-system response to palatable food — biological substrate of 'stress eating'.
Cortisol & StressSource ↗ - Moderate evidence2010
Low calorie dieting increases cortisol
Tomiyama AJ et al. · Psychosomatic Medicine
3-week low-calorie diet alone raised cortisol; restraint and stress amplified the rise — relevant to repeat dieters.
- Moderate evidence2015
Daily stressors, past depression, and metabolic responses to high-fat meals: a novel path to obesity
Kiecolt-Glaser JK et al. · Biological Psychiatry
A day of stressors slowed metabolic clearance of a high-fat meal by ~104 kcal of equivalent expenditure.
Cortisol & StressSource ↗ - Mechanism only1998
Stress, stress-related disease, and emotional regulation
Sapolsky RM · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Foundational mechanism: glucocorticoid signaling links chronic stress to insulin resistance and visceral adiposity.
Cortisol & StressSource ↗ - Moderate evidence2005
Role of stress in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome
Rosmond R · Psychoneuroendocrinology
Reviews HPA-axis dysregulation as a unifying driver of insulin resistance, visceral adiposity, dyslipidaemia.
- Moderate evidence2018
Does stress influence sleep patterns, food intake, weight gain, abdominal obesity and weight loss interventions?
Geiker NRW et al. · Obesity Reviews
Review of stress as a moderator of weight-loss intervention success — high-stress participants drop out and regain more.
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