When you’re undergoing stressful times in your life, if you are under the impression that your body’s fat metabolism starts to tank, then you’re absolutely correct. In fact, researchers have been looking into this link between being stressed out or anxious and the struggle it causes when it comes to weight gain – or at least a greater challenge in losing weight – and it turns out that there may actually be a protein behind all this mess.
Researchers from University of Florida Health used cell and mouse model experiments in order to determine that betatrophin production is stimulated during periods of chronic stress. That substance is a protein that works in the body to block the production or action of an enzyme that is critical to fat metabolism by the body. The results of the study were recently published within the BBA Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids journal.
At one time, betatrophin had been seen as a groundbreaking therapy for people suffering from diabetes. Later, it was deemed to be ineffective for that purpose but researchers have continued to examine its role within the body, particularly as a link has now been found between its production during times of stress and its impact on fat metabolism.
It should be pointed out that the research, so far, has not yet made it to humans, but it is suggesting that a similar impact may be seen as a result of the presence of betatrophin within the human body. Gaining a better understanding of this impact could help to provide significant insight into the implications of stress on the body.
Overall, what is known is that the protein holds back the body’s ability for breaking down fat. This only furthers the connection that has already been established between chronic stress and gaining weight – or struggling to lose it.
While the study didn’t lead to any recommendations by the researchers in terms of what people should be doing in order to help to control the presence of betatrophin within their bodies, it does underscore the importance of stress management when it comes to overcoming a number of different types of health struggles, such as weight gain.
It also implies that by taking action to help to cope with stress and keep it under control, these actions may have the potential to directly improve the results of a healthful effort to lose weight or to keep weight from being put back on again. It indicates that a person who is not undergoing a time of chronic stress may find a dieting effort to be more effective than someone who is living a more harried lifestyle.
