It has long been known that being obese puts you at a higher risk of certain conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease. And it has also been fairly common knowledge that enduring chronic, unreleased stress over a long period of time raises your likelihood of heart attacks and strokes. However, according to research published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, it appears that a person who is obese and stressed will likely deal with twice the amount of negative consequences.
The study was conducted at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and during it researchers looked at a group of individual’s body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and interleukin-6 levels, which is an inflammatory chemical released by your body when you’re under stress. Then they subjected each person to a specific level of stress to see how much interleukin-6 their body released and whether there was any correlation between that amount and their body size.
On the first day of stress being introduced, both lean and obese subjects responded similarly in regard to the amount of interleukin-6 their body released. However, on day number two of stressing the participants, the individuals who had higher BMIs and body fat percentages released almost twice the amount of this harmful inflammatory agent.
Researchers concluded that carrying around excess weight and being stressed all of the time doubles your risk of inflammation which puts you at greater risk of a number of serious diseases. Therefore, getting off the weight is necessary when it comes to obtaining good health, as is reducing the amount of stress you endure as a normal part of your life.
Make a decision today to lose your excess weight and not stress about the things you can’t control. These two things will help you live longer, as well as provide you a higher quality of life—two goals worth achieving!
