Pecoraro says the discovery of the metabolic signal from fat stores is the result of 30 years of research by Mary Dallman, Ph.D., on the stress system. The details were worked out in rats, but the findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "resoundingly" apply to humans.
What's more, he says, they seem to solve the puzzle of atypical depression. The difference between atypical and typical depression may lie in the degree to which chronic stress sets off the defensive alerting system versus the appetitive system. "Atypical depression may be an attempt to self-medicate with food, to reduce the stress hormone output, with the unfortunate side effect of visceral obesity."
There is a way out, Pecoraro says. There are other ways to shut off chronic stress. There's exercise, yoga, meditation, hot baths and, yes, sex. They all stimulate the same pleasure centers in the brain that make us seek comfort food. Relaxation techniques may work even earlier in the process, by reducing the psychological perception of stress in the first place.
