Stress And Overweight, What Is The Connection? - Dr. Ross (VIDEO)
Dr. Ross describes the relationship between stress and being overweight.
More Videos from Dr. Carolyn Ross 13 videos in this series
Dr. Ross:
So having high levels of cortisol can be one of the factors that promotes overeating, as well, we know that many women who are obese have suffered from either neglect or abuse, either physical, sexual or emotional during childhood, and children who have experienced abuse or neglect also have a hyperactive stress response. So they are like on red alert all the time, which again correlates with increase in cortisol levels.
Cortisol also affects the secretion of the hormone insulin from our pancreas and you know insulin goes up whenever your blood sugar goes up from eating. Well, when insulin goes up and you don’t use up all of the calories that you eat then insulin’s job is to store fat. And so, high insulin levels are also associated with high levels of cortisol, or stress, and that promotes fat storage.
About Dr. Ross, M.D., M.P.H.:
Dr. Carolyn Ross, M.D., M.P.H., completed her undergraduate degree in Modern Foreign Languages at Purdue University and worked as a full-time mother of her two older sons before returning to school to complete her pre-med requirements. She then went to the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Ross’s practice experience after medical school helped fuel her interest in understanding what makes people heal as she saw that most of her patients’ medical problems were related to lifestyle habits and the stresses of modern living. In searching for a better way to address these issues, Dr. Ross began to explore complementary and alternative therapies and the use of herbs and supplements for her patients. She then completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at Loma Linda University and then set up practice in San Diego, California where she eventually opened three women’s centers where she practiced primary care and office gynecology.
