Stress & Weight Gain: How To Prevent Stress From Putting Your Weight And Health At Risk

Stress causes many unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, from headaches, irritability and diarrhoea, to insomnia, sweaty palms and an inability to concentrate properly.

Although symptoms and triggers can vary widely from person to person, one thing's for sure. In today's fast-paced world very few us remain immune to its negative effects.

In the short term, stress isn't a problem. Your body is equipped with the hormones to cope. However, prolonged periods of stress can have serious health consequences, increasing your risk of heart disease, ulcers and emphysema. One of the lesser-known side-effects of stress - but one that can have dramatic health implications - is weight gain.

Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of a revolutionary new plant-based therapy, which has recently become available in the UK. Relora is derived from Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense, two major botanicals that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1,500 years. A recent study has shown that taken together these herbs help stressed individuals relax and regulate the hormones associated with stress-induced weight gain.1

How evolution has played a role in stress-related weight gain
One of the main ways stress contributes to weight gain is by increasing your appetite. In particular it produces cravings for high-fat and high-carbohydrate foods, which provide your body with an instant energy boost.

In evolutionary terms, this makes perfect sense. Our ancient ancestors would become stressed when they saw a dangerous animal or found themselves in a new and threatening environment. Their bodies would be primed for 'fight or flight' and there would be huge outpourings of stress hormones to prepare them mentally and physically for action, including the hormone cortisol.

Cortisol stimulates appetite and promotes fat/carbohydrate conversion into glucose - the aim being to boost your energy reserves for that urgent 'fight or flight' response.

However, the stress we typically experience in modern life - sitting in a traffic jam or problems at work - does not require this extra energy. Our lifestyles are predominantly sedentary. We consume extra calories because our bodies think we need them but they are not actually being used. The result is weight gain.

Cortisol encourages fat deposits to accumulate around your stomach
Cortisol trains your body to store fat more effectively, particularly in your abdominal area. It is now accepted by doctors that those who store excess fat in this area - the so-called apple shape - are more vulnerable to heart disease. This risk is made worse by the fact that cortisol also increases cholesterol and triglyceride (blood fat) levels.

In addition, too much cortisol depletes levels of serotonin (the 'happy' hormone) in your brain - which can soon leave you feeling emotional and depressed. Cortisol also weakens your immune system and leaves you vulnerable to bacterial and viral infections and, over time, cancer.

Fortunately the plant extracts in Relora help curb high levels of cortisol.

Relora helps balance hormones implicated in causing stress and weight gain
Relora also exerts a beneficial action on another vital metabolic hormone, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It has been found to boost levels of DHEA, which is produced in the adrenal gland and is found in high amounts in brain tissue. DHEA levels fall precipitously with age - by as much as 90 per cent between the ages of 20 and 90 - and this is thought to be a factor in contributing to middle-aged 'spread'.

In a study conducted to determine the effect of DHEA on genetically obese mice, it was found that although the DHEA-treated mice ate normally, they remained thin and lived longer than control mice who were not given DHEA.2

In another trial it was found that even middle-aged obese rats lost weight when fed DHEA-supplemented food. The incidence of diabetes, a typical complication of obesity, was also dramatically lowered.3, 4

DHEA exerts this 'slimming' effect by its inhibitory action on a key hormone called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), which left unchecked breaks down glucose and turns it to fat for storage.

Walter G. Chambliss, Professor of Pharmaceutics and Associate Director in the National Center for Natural Products Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, says: 'Not only is Relora an excellent way to alleviate stress, and the health risks associated with stress, but it also appears to modulate the hormones that lead to stress-induced eating and subsequent weight gain.'

'Within days of taking Relora I noticed an improvement'
Cheryl Markham, a housewife from West Byfleet in Surrey, was introduced to Relora by a friend who brought some back from the US, where it has been available for some time. She is hugely enthusiastic about its effects: 'Within days of taking Relora I noticed an improvement and within weeks my life had turned around. I don't feel stressed or anxious anymore. I can think clearly and I am now bouncing round the house with energy.'

What to take for best results
The recommended dose is 250mg of Relora three times a day. No adverse side effects have been reported when taking it at this dosage. However, you should be aware that it can cause mild diarrhoea in susceptible individuals.