Bahamas Anti-Aging Medical Institute

An epidemic of obesity is sweeping America – and most other industrialized nations ¹. Much of the reason, of course, is simply related to the fact that we are eating more than ever, and exercising less. But another factor, stress, has powerful impact on a host of factors that ultimately influence body weight ². Most experts now believe that the biological effects of stress, mediated by hormones produced in the adrenal glands, plays a major role in obesity and its deadly consequences, including inflammation, insulin resistance, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and other conditions that together make up the metabolic syndrome ^3-6. The term adrenal fatigue is used by some experts to refer to the consequences of constant stimulation of the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones.

Adrenal fatigue is thought to account not only for weight gain and its immediate consequences, but also for chronic exhaustion, decreased immunity, and increased susceptibility to both infections and cancer. Here's a bullet summary of what we know:

• The immediate biological response to stress is the “fight-or-flight” reflex that dumps adrenaline into our bloodstream and causes the familiar dry mouth, rapid heart rate, and increased respiratory rate that we all associate with fear²
• Within minutes that adrenalin, produced (as its name suggests) in the adrenal glands, circulates to deep brain centers and stimulates production of longer-acting stress hormones known as glucocorticoids (most people have heard of these steroid hormones in treatment of inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis, or as drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted organs) ²
• Glucocorticoids have useful short-term effects that help the body cope with acute stress – but over longer periods their effects combine to induce weight gain, insulin resistance, and even bone degradation ^2,4
• Long-term effects of these stress hormones also cause changes in the brain that can lead to depression and anxiety, which themselves are further associated with over-eating and still more weight gain ^7-9
• Animal studies suggest that men and women respond differently to chronic stress, and have different outcomes in terms of appetite and weight gain ¹⁰
• Eventually, overstimulation of the adrenal glands may leave them exhausted and unable to properly respond even to short-term stressful stimuli – further reducing our energy levels and ability to cope with changes in the environment ⁴

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue can include chronic exhaustion, dizziness on standing up too fast, weight gain that’s unresponsive to normal dietary and lifestyle changes, sleep disturbances, and depression, as well as vulnerability to repeated infections ^11,12. People who are concerned about adrenal fatigue should discuss it with their health care providers. You can also read more about adrenal fatigue, other disturbances of the stress hormone system, and weight gain in the Life Extension Foundation’s Health Concerns Textbook: http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-002.shtml#adrenalfatigue.

References

(1) Reagan LP. Insulin signaling effects on memory and mood. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2007;7:633-637.

(2) Kyrou I, Tsigos C. Stress mechanisms and metabolic complications. Horm Metab Res. 2007;39:430-438.

(3) Iwen KA, Senyaman O, Schwartz A et al. Melanocortin crosstalk with adipose functions: ACTH directly induces insulin resistance, promotes a pro-inflammatory adipokine profile and stimulates UCP-1 in adipocytes. J Endocrinol. 2008;196:465-472.

(4) Nieuwenhuizen AG, Rutters F. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis in the regulation of energy balance. Physiol Behav. 2008;94:169-177.

(5) Golden SH. A review of the evidence for a neuroendocrine link between stress, depression and diabetes mellitus. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2007;3:252-259.

(6) Innes KE, Vincent HK, Taylor AG. Chronic stress and insulin resistance-related indices of cardiovascular disease risk, part I: neurophysiological responses and pathological sequelae. Altern Ther Health Med. 2007;13:46-52.

(7) Miura H, Ozaki N, Sawada M, Isobe K, Ohta T, Nagatsu T. A link between stress and depression: shifts in the balance between the kynurenine and serotonin pathways of tryptophan metabolism and the etiology and pathophysiology of depression. Stress. 2008;11:198-209.

(8) Aszalos Z. [Neurological and psychiatric aspects of some endocrine diseases. The role of neurosteroids and neuroactive steroids]. Orv Hetil. 2007;148:1929-1937.

(9) Tanabe A, Nomura S. [Pathophysiology of depression]. Nippon Rinsho. 2007;65:1585-1590.

(10) Fachin A, Silva RK, Noschang CG et al. Stress effects on rats chronically receiving a highly palatable diet are sex-specific. Appetite. 2008.

(11) Gupta V, Lipsitz LA. Orthostatic hypotension in the elderly: diagnosis and treatment. Am J Med. 2007;120:841-847.

(12) Marik PE. Mechanisms and clinical consequences of critical illness associated adrenal insufficiency. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2007;13:363-369.