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Is Stress Making You Gain Weight?
More than 30 tips for stress relief
Yasmine S. Ali, MD
October 25, 2023
Hello again!
I’m back with the monthly e-zine from Speak for the Heart!
(For those who are new subscribers this month: this last issue of the month is a longer, magazine-style newsletter. All other Wednesdays, you will receive a shorter, “Weekly Heart-Health News” letter.)
As you know, one of the themes of this newsletter is stress relief and reduction, and I want to thank my good friend Trish Parker, LMT, of Nashville Bodywork Therapies, for reminding me to share with you the association between stress and weight gain. Trish is a licensed massage therapist, so she knows a thing or two about stress reduction, and in her own newsletter, she featured an article on the findings from a recent survey of 2,000 participants over the age of 30 regarding the unhealthy effects of stress, including weight gain.
In this survey, one of the salient findings was that 43% of those polled reported gaining weight—on average, about 17 pounds—because of stress.
That survey was commissioned by Nutrisystem, so may be biased, but many other studies have also shown a connection between stress and weight gain, so I feel comfortable sharing the results with you. Below, you’ll find more articles from many different sources on this unhealthy effect of stress, along with many more tips for stress reduction.
If you have found healthy stress-relief techniques that work for you, please share them with me—I’d love to hear from you! Just reply to this email.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe Halloween!
To your health,
Yasmine
Heart-Health News You Can Use
As promised, articles on the connection between stress and weight gain:
And here are some good ones on stress relief—including one from my own blog as well as an article I’ve featured previously, on how laughter really can be the best medicine!
AI in Medicine
AI is such a hot topic nowadays, in every field—and with good reason. So I’ll be highlighting some of the most important developments and medical AI news in each newsletter.
Test Your Knowledge
How much of premature cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke) is preventable? (Answer at bottom of newsletter.)
A. 0%
B. 20%
C. At least 80%
D. 100%
Quote of the Month
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And if you’re on Instagram, you can find me here: https://www.instagram.com/speakfortheheartbyyasminealimd/
Answer to the “Test Your Knowledge” Quiz:
C. At least 80%.
Some sources put this number as high as 90%, but most (like the American Heart Association and the World Health Organization) have said for years that at least 80% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable.
The best ways to prevent cardiovascular disease are through a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and not smoking. A recent study (which I highlighted in an earlier newsletter this summer) identified 8 habits in particular that lead to a longer, healthier life and prevent cardiovascular disease:
How many of these are you practicing regularly now?
Premium Section
In this month’s section for Premium subscribers:
Cooking with a Cardiologist — 2 healthy Thanksgiving sides!
Q&A — Dr. Ali answers questions from readers. This month: “What leafy green vegetables am I supposed to be eating?”
Premium Catch-up — All the Premium-only articles and “My Takes” from the past month of Weekly Heart-Health Newsletters.
Subscribe to Premium Subcription to Speak for the Heart to read the rest.
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