By Elena Voropay 

The connection between stress and obesity is a well-known fact. But why is it so easy for the stressed person to get fat has remained a mystery. Until now. First, it was thought that just because you are stressed and your brain is tired, it craves more food. More food means more calories, more calories means more fat in the body. If you think that just by watching your diet you can control your weight, you are further away from truth than from your weight-loss goal.

It may help, but if your stress levels are jumping through the roof, your efforts will seem much harder and may be completely pointless. Here is an explanation why.

Science has shown that certain stress hormones change biochemistry and metabolism of the body. But the pathway is not just through your stomach. It's through your brain as well.

When the researchers tested how stressed and unstressed mice on different diets accumulate and store fat, they discovered that stressed mice eating high calorie food gained twice as much fat as unstressed mice eating the same meals.

"Now we have identified the exact pathway, or chain of molecular events, that links chronic stress with obesity,"says Australian author Professor Herbert Herzog at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

Brain chemicals, neurotransmitters (neuropeptide Y, or NPY) and the receptors (neuropeptide Y2 receptor, or Y2R) are activated during stress, leading to obesity and metabolic syndrome in mice on fatty diets. How can this information be of any use?

But by injecting Y2R blockers into abdominal fat it may be possible to ward off both obesity and metabolic disorders. (Source: International study, published online in the journal Nature Medicine)

However, until this treatment is available to all of us, your common sense approach to a healthy and happy life needs to come from moderation - of stress and food, that is.

Stress and You 

Many people believe that they need less stress in their lives. While some types of tension should clearly be avoided and minimized if at all possible, if we had a stress free existence, life would be bland indeed. A certain amount of pressure is needed to keep you alert and motivated. But more is not always better.

Too much stress is linked with the development of a variety of illnesses. Researchers have found that nervous tension may even influence the immune system by suppressing the body's killer cells, the defenders against invading infections. Heart disease, arthritis, insulin resistance, accumulation of fat in the abdomen, hypertension, even cancer and short-term memory impairment have been linked to excessive stress.

How To Manage Stress Now

One of the greatest ways to deal with stressor is engaging in any kind of physical activity. You have probably heard that exercise helps you deal with stress. Would you like to know how it works? Whether the tension is mental or physical, your body reacts to stressors with physiological mechanisms by increasing the flow of certain hormones.

The body's first reaction to any potentially harmful demand is to prepare for action. It gets ready to face danger or to run away (a.k.a. "fight or flight" response). The two major areas affected are the heart and the muscles. The heart starts pumping more blood to the muscles which make the body ready for physical action. The lungs now provide more oxygen to the muscles for energy and to the brain for alertness. Stored sugars and fats are released into the blood, but because of the overriding need of the muscles, the blood flow to some organs, such as those of the digestive system, is cut off.

Several studies have shown that exercise reduces feelings of anger and frustration, anxiety, irritability, muscle tension, and depression - all indicators of constant worry - for at least several hours and, possibly, much longer. Dealing with stressor through physical action reverses your body's biochemical preparation and relaxes the system. Otherwise, you stay "wound up" attracting even more stressors.

Substantial research has shown that physically fit and active individuals are capable to handle stress better than those who are inactive. Taking time for exercise may do more for your resistance to stress than a week's vacation. A chess master was once asked how he survived the pressures of a particularly long and grueling tournament. He credited his stamina to swimming and skiing. If you are not up for the challenge yet, something less demanding - such as walking to school - can be just what you need.

The key to letting off steam while working up a sweat lies in picking the right type of exercise to counterbalance what you typically do all day long. The rule of thumb: To find your ideal workout, just examine the qualities of your workday, and go for the opposite. Desk-bound students may need a challenge at the gym, since physical or psychological stimulation is likely to be missing from daily activities.

If you're confined to an office all day staring at a computer screen, you could probably benefit from a class, a training partner or a team sport that allows you to interact with others. On the other hand, if the job requires you to routinely engage in strenuous physical labor, then meditation, light stretching and yoga can provide relief from the physical tension. Remember, exercise can power up your brain, boost your confidence, and provide you with a superb sense of achievement.