Stress and cortisol linked directly to abdominal fat

[Johnka]

Maybe spot-reducing can be done after all - by getting your stress under control [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat.
Psychosom Med 2000 Sep-Oct;62(5):623-32 (ISSN: 0033-3174)
Epel ES; McEwen B; Seeman T; Matthews K; Castellazzo G; Brownell KD; Bell J; Ickovics JR
Health Psychology Program, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0848, USA. elissa@itsa.ucsf.edu.
OBJECTIVE: Excessive central fat puts one at greater risk of disease. In animal studies, stress-induced cortisol secretion has been shown to increase central fat. The objective of this study was to assess whether women with central fat distribution (as indicated by a high waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]), across a range of body mass indexes, display consistently heightened cortisol reactivity to repeated laboratory stressors. METHODS: Fifty-nine healthy premenopausal women, 30 with a high WHR and 29 with a low WHR, were exposed to consecutive laboratory sessions over 4 days (three stress sessions and one rest session). During these sessions, cortisol and psychological responses were assessed. RESULTS: Women with a high WHR evaluated the laboratory challenges as more threatening, performed more poorly on them, and reported more chronic stress. These women secreted significantly more cortisol during the first stress session than women with a low WHR. Furthermore, lean women with a high WHR lacked habituation to stress in that they continued to secrete significantly more cortisol in response to now familiar challenges (days 2 and 3) than lean women with a low WHR. CONCLUSIONS: Central fat distribution is related to greater psychological vulnerability to stress and cortisol reactivity. This may be especially true among lean women, who did not habituate to repeated stress. The current cross-sectional findings support the hypothesis that stress-induced cortisol secretion may contribute to central fat and demonstrate a link between psychological stress and risk for disease.

[Johnka]

Here is another study:

Hypercortisolemic depression is associated with increased intra-abdominal fat.
Psychosom Med 2002 Mar-Apr;64(2):274-7 (ISSN: 0033-3174)
Weber-Hamann B; Hentschel F; Kniest A; Deuschle M; Colla M; Lederbogen F; Heuser I
Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.
OBJECTIVE: Similar to patients with a metabolic syndrome, patients with major depression are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. Interestingly, both disorders share a specific endocrine syndrome that promotes the accumulation of visceral fat, which again is considered a marker of increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. METHODS: Intra-abdominal fat was measured in 22 postmenopausal depressed women and 23 age-matched healthy women by computer tomography at the level of lumbar vertebrae 1 (L1) and 4 (L4). Saliva was taken in patients and control subjects at 08:00 hours over a period of 7 drug-free days for the measurement of free cortisol. In patients only we performed an oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: Compared with control subjects, depressed patients with elevated free cortisol concentrations showed similar visceral fat depots at L1 (113.0 +/- 41.6 vs. 94.3 +/- 53.2 cm(2)). Hypercortisolemic depressed patients also showed greater fat depots in this area (74.5 +/- 55.5 cm(2), p =.04) than the normocortisolemic patients. However, a comparison of all patients with control subjects revealed no difference in fat accumulation at either L1 or L4. Finally, glucose concentrations during the glucose tolerance test were higher in hypercortisolemic than in normocortisolemic patients, whereas their insulin levels showed only a tendency toward being increased. CONCLUSIONS: Hypercortisolemic depressed patients suffer from resistance to insulin and increased visceral fat. The fact that hypercortisolemia reverses depression-related fat loss, particularly in the visceral area, might partially explain why major depression can be considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders.

[joshman]

Cool. Can you tell me why I store all my fat in my butt?

[Jean-Paul]

I don't store much in my abs (I guess I'm lucky), but I do have a pretty good layer all around. I have lost that nice hard line on my chest. My waist is certainly thicker, but I don't get really big handles. I would like to get back down to a 32. Maybe even a 30! But there is no way my stress will decrease any time soon. Such is the life of an entrepreneur.