Stubborn abdominal fat? It might be a sign of maladaptation to chronic stress
Abdominal fat, particularly the kind that clings stubbornly to your waistline, is one of the most frustrating aspects of weight management. You may have tried various interventions such as intermittent fasting, low carb diets, ketogenic diets, paleo diets or just simply reducing your caloric intake, but nothing has had much impact. Whether you call it a "spare tire," "belly pooch," or simply "love handles," it can seem nearly impossible to get rid of. But why is this fat so persistent?
It turns out that stress may be playing a big part in stubborn belly fat. I find this to be particularly true more for women than for men because women tend to be more sensitive to stress in their environment, and this is one way our body’s adapt to stress.
Let me explain why in more detail…
Fat cells have been shown to be more effective at metabolising stress hormones like cortisol than other tissues in the body, so when there is chronic stress in the environment, the body compensates by increasing fat tissue.
When cortisol is consistently elevated, it signals the body to store fat, especially in the visceral fat area (the fat around internal organs in the abdomen). This is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation, as visceral fat serves as a rapid energy reserve that the body can draw on during prolonged periods of stress or danger (e.g., "fight-or-flight" situations).
Chronic stress is not just emotional but also physiological
You may think of chronic stress as emotional, which of course it is, but chronic stress can also come from the following sources:
Poor sleep
Stealth infections
Environmental exposures (mould, heavy metals, PCBs, phthalates etc)
Gut bacteria imbalances
Food sensitivities
Sedentary lifestyle
Too much screen time / high exposure to EMF
Poor diet (high refined sugar/carb, low nutrient density)
Too much fasting (eating too low calorie diets)
Too much exercise and not enough refuelling (yes we CAN overdo a good thing if we’re not approaching it in a balanced way)
So as you can see, when trying to resolve stubborn fat, it’s important to understand the whole picture. In functional medicine we use lab testing to pinpoint what factors are playing the primary role for you and your symptoms, which enables us to treat you from a root cause perspective rather than just the symptoms.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how I can help you, why not schedule a free discovery call with me so we can discuss your health in detail. Click the button below to book in!
