Research
Hormonal
Chronic stress contributes to the accumulation of visceral fat tissue primarily through the hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and subsequent glucocorticoid exposure.
Chronic stress is not just a mental state; it physically drives visceral fat accumulation via the HPA axis. Managing stress is a critical component of metabolic health and weight management, alongside diet and exercise.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Stress, primarily through hyperactivation of the HPA axis, appears to contribute to the accumulation of fat tissue, and vice versa, obesity itself seems to constitute a chronic stressful state and may cause HPA axis dysfunction.
Why this rating
This is a review paper summarizing mechanisms and correlations, not a primary clinical trial.
Source
Stress, Visceral Obesity, and Metabolic Complications
Ioannis Kyrou et al. · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2006
DOI 10.1196/annals.1367.008
narrative_reviewCited 379×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity acts as a chronic stressful state that can cause HPA axis dysfunction, creating a bidirectional relationship with stress.Moderate
- Visceral obesity potentiates local glucocorticoid action through the enzyme 11β-HSD1, which converts inactive cortisone to active cortisol, thereby increasing tissue sensitivity to glucocorticoids.Moderate
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