Stress can make you fat
Researchers have found that stress from everyday life can contribute to obesity. The finding came from the Whitehall II study, which has followed thousands of civil servants since 1985, seeking to establish the effects on health of stress at work, job security, change in the workplace and lifestyle factors. The results of the study and its predecessor, Whitehall I, are now influencing policy discussions.
“This is the first study to show that daily stress influences the development of obesity,” said Professor Sir Michael Marmot, who has led the research for more than 20 years.
In the past year, Whitehall II has yielded many results. Another finding is that employees who report that they are treated unfairly at work by their supervisors suffer increased levels of mental illness. The researchers are now looking into the effects of unfair treatment at work on rates of sick leave, inflammation in the body and sleeping difficulties.
In closely related research, results showed that reports of stress at work were directly related to a combination of health problems known as the metabolic syndrome that makes people more likely to suffer diabetes and heart disease. “Obesity rates are higher among lower socioeconomic groups. We found there were greater reports of work stress among lower occupational grades, which may explain some of the reason for this,” said Professor Marmot.
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007; 165: 828-837