Psychologist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett claims living in a "stressful environment" can lead to gaining "11 pounds" more per year

Psychologist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett recently claimed that living in a "stressful environment" can lead to gaining "11 pounds" more per year. During her appearance on The Diary Of A CEO’s April 17 episode, she said:

“If you encounter stress, it's as if you ate 104 more calories than you actually ate. So, you're so inefficient in metabolizing that it's like having eaten 104 more calories than you did. Even your good fats will be metabolized as if they're bad fats and potentially stored.”

Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett continued, talking to host Steven Bartlett:

“You add up to 104 calories at every meal for a year, that's almost 11 pounds. That means that if you are in a stressful environment and for a year and you ate exactly the same thing as you ate the year before, you would gain 11 pounds in depression…”

As per Medical News Today’s August 29, 2023, report, stress is a common response to daily demands. However, long-term stress can alter the body's physiology, which might result in weight gain. For certain individuals, putting on weight might exacerbate their stress, creating a vicious cycle.

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Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett further explained depression in adolescents

Talking about what stress does for weight gain and how the two are related, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett said during the same interview:

“Depression also has symptoms that are related to increased costs, like 70% of people who are depressed have inflammatory problems. So, if you have persistent and systemic inflammation, that's like a persistent tax on your budget.."

Trying to explain the science behind the system, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett explained:

“For example, there's cortisol dysregulation in depression, that means there's dysregulation in metabolism because cortisol is a metabolic.. People who take SSRIs for depression, i.e. antidepressants..”

Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett then added, trying to explain how depression is related to all these:

“Depression has a metabolic basis to it. What is the elixir of all these metabolic influences that would lead somebody to develop a depressive state? The simple point that I was making is I actually came to this idea about metabolism and depression..”

Then, talking about depression in adolescents, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett said:

“I was doing a ton of reading trying to figure out how to help my kid, what were her symptoms at that time just if there are any parents that are listening right now that can relate or anybody that's listening that could relate..”

Meanwhile, according to the same medical website, medical professionals are aware that long-term stress can lead to weight gain. It further stated that research indicates a connection between long-term stress and obesity.

Additionally, according to the National Library of Medicine, stress can lead to weight gain by raising levels of hunger-related hormones and chemicals like ghrelin and leptin, as well as by interfering with cognitive functions like self-regulation.

It can also lead to overindulgence in foods heavy in calories, fat, and sugar, sleep disturbances, and a decrease in energy levels and physical activity. On the other hand, as per the same source, adolescent depression is a severe illness marked by symptoms that interfere with day-to-day functioning.

Emotional changes like melancholy, frustration, and hopelessness, as well as behavioural changes like exhaustion, irregular sleep patterns, and changes in food, are some of the ways it can show up.

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In the meantime, all episodes of The Diary Of A CEO are available on YouTube right now.