Help is at hand for those who cannot but reach out for that extra helping of festive treats and then suffer the ”holiday blues”.

In a new study, professionals from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have urged women to be cautious of what they eat and also combat their stress levels as a proactive means to prevent them piling on the pounds during the festive season. The research, published online in the October issue of the Journal of Obesity, explained that managing stress and mindful eating can actually help in weight loss even in the absence of hardcore diet regimes.

In a new study, professionals from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have urged women to be cautious of what they eat and also combat their stress levels as a proactive means to prevent them piling on the pounds during the festive season. The research, published online in the October issue of the Journal of Obesity, explained that managing stress and mindful eating can actually help in weight loss even in the absence of hardcore diet regimes.

The current investigation is part of ongoing UCSF research into how stress and the stress hormone – cortisol – are linked to eating behavior, fat and health.

”You’re training the mind to notice, but to not automatically react based on habitual patterns, to not reach for a candy bar in response to feeling anger, for example,” said lead UCSF researcher, Jennifer Daubenmier, from UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, ”If you can first recognize what you are feeling before you act, you have a greater chance of making a wiser decision.”

The study investigated individual capabilities in recognizing hunger pangs, feelings of satiation and also taste. The researchers looked for changes in the amount of deep abdominal fat and overall weight. They also measured the levels of secretion of cortisol shortly after awakening, a time when cortisol peaks in those under chronic stress.

Nyhetsinfo

www red DiabetologNytt