title: Daily stressors, past depression, and metabolic responses to high-fat meals: a novel path to obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression and stress promote obesity. This study addressed the impact of daily stressors and a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) on obesity-related metabolic responses to high-fat meals.
  
  
  METHODS
  This double-blind, randomized, crossover study included serial assessments of resting energy expenditure (REE), fat and carbohydrate oxidation, triglycerides, cortisol, insulin, and glucose before and after two high-fat meals. During two separate 9.5-hour admissions, 58 healthy women (38 breast cancer survivors and 20 demographically similar control subjects), mean age 53.1 years, received either a high saturated fat meal or a high oleic sunflower oil meal. Prior day stressors were assessed by the Daily Inventory of Stressful Events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Greater numbers of stressors were associated with lower postmeal REE (p = .008), lower fat oxidation (p = .04), and higher insulin (p = .01), with nonsignificant effects for cortisol and glucose. Women with prior MDD had higher cortisol (p = .008) and higher fat oxidation (p = .004), without significant effects for REE, insulin, and glucose. Women with a depression history who also had more stressors had a higher peak triglyceride response than other participants (p = .01). The only difference between meals was higher postprandial glucose following sunflower oil compared with saturated fat (p = .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cumulative 6-hour difference between one prior day stressor and no stressors translates into 435 kJ, a difference that could add almost 11 pounds per year. These findings illustrate how stress and depression alter metabolic responses to high-fat meals in ways that promote obesity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Electronic address: Janice.Kiecolt-Glaser@osumc.edu.
authors.forename: Janice K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kiecolt-Glaser
authors.affiliation: Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Diane L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Habash
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Disparities Research, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Fagundes
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andridge
authors.affiliation: Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Malarkey
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Belury
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019301:Oleic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D019518:Postprandial Period / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D014280:Triglycerides; D019301:Oleic Acid; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Daily stressors; Depression; Insulin; Resting energy expenditure; Triglycerides