Stress and Obesity
Obesity is a condition in which the energy stockpile in human body is raised to a degree where it can create certain health conditions or an increased mortality. Obesity is becoming viewed as a growing public health threat. Obesity is being considered to predispose different diseases like sleep apnea, cardiovascular diseases, etc.
Stress is a major factor in Obesity. Emotions and environment stress affects a person’s overeating pattern significantly.
Emotional condition generally effects the mind of the consumer of the food while he/she is eating something. When people are not in an emotionaly stable position due to some stress, they may be inclined to fall back to over eating.
In the psychological opinion, there are two chief standpoints regarding obesity. These are the outwardness hypothesis and the psychodynamic hypothesis.
It is viewed that overeating is considered to be a means of decreasing anxiety, alleviating frustration and deprivation, sedating oneself, diminishing guilt and managing anxiety. Theorists Rakoff and Garetz describe overeating as a means of dealing with emotions such as anxiety, anger, despair, and depression, all of which are associated with stress.
Kornhaber characterizes the obese individuals overeating pattern as happening in response to emotional suffering, particularly depression.
From these studies it is quite evident that when an obese individual experiences stress, especially when the cause of the stress is unclear, he/she will react by eating. The obese individual may use food in an attempt to regain a sense of self control when that sense is disturbed. Then overeating will lead the person who is suffering from the stress to be obese which may then trigger certain other problems.
For a free guide to healthful cooking, visit Facts About Childhood Obesity. For more information about some of the causes of childhood obesity visit Facts About Childhood Obesity.
