Lifestyle coping behaviours therefore have a significant contribution to AL .
This study is among the first to explore multiple domains of HRB in relation to AL .
Health risk behaviours ( HRB ) across the lifespan have been associated with higher cumulative physiological burden as measured by allostatic load ( AL ) .
This study examines the contribution of HRB and their effects on multisystem biological risk associated with morbidity and early mortality .
Comfort food is comforting to those most stressed: Evidence of the chronic stress response network in high stress women
Chronically stressed rodents who are allowed to eat calorie-dense " comfort " food develop greater mesenteric fat , which in turn dampens hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical ( HPA ) axis activity . We tested whether similar relations exist in humans , at least cross-sectionally . Fifty-nine healthy premenopausal women were exposed to a st and ard laboratory stressor to examine HPA response to acute stress and underwent diurnal saliva sampling for basal cortisol and response to dexamethasone administration . Based on perceived stress scores , women were divided into extreme quartiles of low versus high stress categories . We found as hypothesized that the high stress group had significantly greater BMI and sagittal diameter , and reported greater emotional eating . In response to acute lab stressor , the high stress group showed a blunted cortisol response , lower diurnal cortisol levels , and greater suppression in response to dexamethasone . These cross-sectional findings support the animal model , which suggests that long-term adaptation to chronic stress in the face of dense calories result in greater visceral fat accumulation ( via ingestion of calorie-dense food ) , which in turn modulates HPA axis response , result ing in lower cortisol levels
Lifestyle coping behaviours therefore have a significant contribution to AL .
This study is among the first to explore multiple domains of HRB in relation to AL .
Health risk behaviours ( HRB ) across the lifespan have been associated with higher cumulative physiological burden as measured by allostatic load ( AL ) .
This study examines the contribution of HRB and their effects on multisystem biological risk associated with morbidity and early mortality .