Who wouldn’t love to eat a greasy, juicy hamburger after a stressful day at work? While it may be a convenient way to relax, new research shows it could have a serious impact on your metabolism.
A new study from Ohio State University reveals that women who were stressed out and ate a single high fat meal had a slower metabolism–something that could cause them to gain 11 pounds in a year.
This, according to researcher Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, could equal trouble.
“This means that, over time, stressors could lead to weight gain,” says Kiecolt-Glaser, who works as a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University. “We know from other data that we’re more likely to eat the wrong foods when we’re stressed, and our data say that when we eat the wrong foods, weight gain becomes more likely because we are burning fewer calories.”
Previous research on stress found that both men and women were susceptible to obesity, especially if they also ate a diet high in processed foods–but it was assumed this was due to a high caloric intake. This study, however, shows that you don’t necessarily need to overeat your caloric allowance to gain weight.
The study, now published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, goes to show that emotional eating–a term used to describe those who binge eat when dealing with certain emotions–can be a bad weight maintenance strategy.
So how did Kiecolt-Glaser discover these findings?
- First, she recruited 58 women with an average age of 53 to participate in the study. This age is important, as a woman’s metabolism naturally decreases in her 50s.
- Next, they completed questionnaires about their physical activity, depressive symptoms, and stress levels so that researchers could gauge their stress levels. Most of the women reported feeling stressed out prior to the study.
- After recording their stress levels, Kiecolt-Glaser then had them eat a meal of eggs, biscuits, gravy, and turkey sausage, which contained approximately 930 calories and 60 grams of fat, making it a high fat meal. They were required to eat it within a 20 minute time period.
- After the food was consumed, their metabolism was tested every 20 minutes for the next seven hours.
As for what she found, the results were shocking: Eating a high fat meal caused them to burn 104 fewer calories. While the number may seem insignificant, over time this can equal uncontrollable weight gain–by up to 11 pounds a year.
Obviously, this news isn’t good.
“The participants burned fewer calories over the seven hours after the meal when they had a stressor in their life the day before the meal.,” says Martha Belury, co-author of the study and a professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University. “We know we can’t always avoid stressors in our life, but one thing we can do to prepare for that is to have healthy food choices in our refrigerators and cabinets so that when those stressors come up, we can reach for something healthy rather than going to a very convenient but high-fat choice.”
What You Should Do
While stress is sometimes unavoidable, there’s one thing you can control: What you eat. To avoid weight gain, avoid eating high-fat meals, especially if you feel stressed out. Instead, reach for something healthy, like a low-fat turkey sandwich or a fruit salad.
Readers: How often do you eat high fat meals?
Source:
Study: Women Who Eat High Fat Meals Have a Slower Metabolism – ScienceDaily.com
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