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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Apr 1;77(7):653-60.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.05.018. Epub 2014 Jul 14.

Daily stressors, past depression, and metabolic responses to high-fat meals: a novel path to obesity

Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser  1 , Diane L Habash  2 , Christopher P Fagundes  3 , Rebecca Andridge  4 , Juan Peng  4 , William B Malarkey  5 , Martha A Belury  6
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Daily stressors, past depression, and metabolic responses to high-fat meals: a novel path to obesity

Janice K Kiecolt-Glaser et al. Biol Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Depression and stress promote obesity. This study addressed the impact of daily stressors and a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) on obesity-related metabolic responses to high-fat meals.

Methods: This double-blind, randomized, crossover study included serial assessments of resting energy expenditure (REE), fat and carbohydrate oxidation, triglycerides, cortisol, insulin, and glucose before and after two high-fat meals. During two separate 9.5-hour admissions, 58 healthy women (38 breast cancer survivors and 20 demographically similar control subjects), mean age 53.1 years, received either a high saturated fat meal or a high oleic sunflower oil meal. Prior day stressors were assessed by the Daily Inventory of Stressful Events.

Results: Greater numbers of stressors were associated with lower postmeal REE (p = .008), lower fat oxidation (p = .04), and higher insulin (p = .01), with nonsignificant effects for cortisol and glucose. Women with prior MDD had higher cortisol (p = .008) and higher fat oxidation (p = .004), without significant effects for REE, insulin, and glucose. Women with a depression history who also had more stressors had a higher peak triglyceride response than other participants (p = .01). The only difference between meals was higher postprandial glucose following sunflower oil compared with saturated fat (p = .03).

Conclusions: The cumulative 6-hour difference between one prior day stressor and no stressors translates into 435 kJ, a difference that could add almost 11 pounds per year. These findings illustrate how stress and depression alter metabolic responses to high-fat meals in ways that promote obesity.

Keywords: Cortisol; Daily stressors; Depression; Insulin; Resting energy expenditure; Triglycerides.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial Disclosures

The authors report no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Estimated postprandial decline in energy expenditure as a function of number of daily stressors on the previous day. Results are from a linear mixed model controlling for pre-meal RMR, age, lean body mass, trunk fat, physical activity, history of depression, cancer/control status, and meal type.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Estimated postprandial increase in fat oxidation as a function of number of daily stressors on the previous day. Results are from a linear mixed model controlling for pre-meal fat oxidation, age, trunk fat, HOMA insulin resistance, physical activity, history of depression, cancer/control status, and meal type.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Estimated postprandial changes in triglycerides as a function of number of daily stressors on the previous day and history of depression. Results are from a mixed model controlling for pre-meal triglycerides, age, trunk fat, physical activity, menopausal status, cancer/control status, and meal type.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Estimated postprandial changes in cortisol as a function of history of depression. Results are from a mixed model controlling for pre-meal cortisol, age, trunk fat, physical activity, cancer/control status, and meal type.
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