The News
Stress can lead to obesity, study says
By Simeon Bennett
Bloomberg News
Article Last Updated: 07/02/2007 12:24:15 AM MDT
Scientists say they have found a link between stress and obesity, which offers hope in treating the one-third of Americans who are overweight. The brain under stress releases a hormone that activates a gene in fat cells, causing them to grow in size and number, according to a study published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine. Scientists found stressed mice gained twice as much fat as those fed the same high-calorie diet. The stressed mice didn't gain weight when the gene was removed or blocked.

The Research
Read the research behind this story in Nature Medicine.