Stress and Obesity: Are There More Susceptible Individuals?
Open accessAbstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Stress has long been suspected to be interrelated to (abdominal) obesity. However, interindividual differences in this complex relationship exist. We suggest that the extent of glucocorticoid action partly explains these interindividual differences. We provide latest insights with respect to multiple types of stressors. RECENT FINDINGS: Increased long-term cortisol levels, as measured in scalp hair, are strongly related to abdominal obesity and to specific mental disorders. However, not all obese patients have elevated cortisol levels. Possibly, the interindividual variation in glucocorticoid sensitivity, which is partly genetically determined, may lead to higher vulnerability to mental or physical stressors. Other evidence for the important role for increased glucocorticoid action is provided by recent studies investigating associations between body composition and local and systemic corticosteroids. Stress may play a major role in the development and maintenance of obesity in individuals who have an increased glucocorticoid exposure or sensitivity. These insights may lead to more effective and individualized obesity treatment strategies.
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GLP-1 RAs and naltrexone/bupropion have shown efficacy in attenuating hedonic drive through hypothalamic and mesolimbic modulation.
“GLP-1 RAs and naltrexone/bupropion have shown efficacy in attenuating hedonic drive through hypothalamic and mesolimbic modulation, offering therapeutic tools beyond caloric restriction [200].”
From Precision obesity medicine: A phenotype-guided framework for pharmacologic therapy across the lifespan (2025) · cites this paper as [200]
The Acute Stress Response section discusses stress hormones and food preference, while Potential Mechanisms and Treatment Targets of Elevated Cortisol in Obesity discusses different treatments. Searches for GLP-1, naltrexone/bupropion, hedonic drive, and mesolimbic modulation found no passage in our copy addressing the claimed drug effects or mechanism; no page numbers were available. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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References 115 · Cited by 402
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [41]Hinkelmann K Muhtz C Dettenborn L Agorastos A Wingenfeld K Spitzer C Gao W Kirschbaum C Wiedemann K Otte C Association between childhood trauma and low hair cortisol in depressed patients and healthy control subjects Biol Psychiatry 2013 74 9 e15 e17 23726317
- Authors
- van der Valk, E. S., Savas, M., & van Rossum, E. F. C.
- Affiliations
- Erasmus MC (NL)
- ORCID
- Savas, Mesut
- Venue
- Current Obesity Reports
- Published
- 2018-04-16
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 193-203
- ISSN
- 2162-4968 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5958156
- OpenAlex
- W2800929313
- Cited by
- 402
- References
- 115
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 115 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 54 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 3
- FWCI
- 2.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Current Obesity Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Erasmus University
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Adipokines, Inflammation, and Metabolic Diseases
- Keywords
- stress, obesity, abdominal obesity, cortisol, glucocorticoid sensitivity, individual differences, mental illness, body composition, corticosteroids, genetic susceptibility
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, Disease Susceptibility, Glucocorticoids, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Models, Psychological, Nerve Tissue Proteins, Obesity, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Polymorphism, Genetic, Receptors, Glucocorticoid, Stress, Psychological, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Pediatric Obesity
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