With South Africans rated among the most obese nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, local dietitians and health experts have said they will be probing whether there is a direct link between stress and the country’s high obesity rate.
This comes following an overwhelming study by international health researchers, which found a probable link between stress and obesity in the United Kingdom.
The recent study was conducted by researchers and professors at the University College London. The UK researchers measured cortisol levels in the two centimetres of hair closest to the scalp and looked at weight, waist circumference and body mass index (BMI). They then found that those with more cortisol in their hair were more likely to be obese or have more excess fat around their midsection.
Diane Scott, a dietitian in Roodepoort, said the prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in South Africa during the past few decades. Stress has been suggested as one of the environmental factors that may contribute to the development of obesity.
“We’ve had many speculations on whether stress contributes to obesity. The minimum that seems to be true at this moment is that people tend to over-eat when they are stressed. Since the role of cortisol during stress is to provide your body with energy, it can cause an increase in appetite. In other words, stress might lead you to eat more. We do however need a local study to affirm this,” she said.
The Healthy Living Alliance (Heala), a health organisation that deals with wellness and fitness in South Africa, said obesity has grown exponentially in the country. The organisation’s Tracey Malawana said more needed to be done by government, schools and in workplaces to improve the situation.
“The health of our nation is in crisis. Forty per cent of South Africa’s women are obese and 11 per cent of the country’s men are also overweight. The rate of childhood obesity in the country has also reached an alarming high. Obesity can cause heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers. As our rate of childhood obesity skyrockets, the future of our people’s health lies in the balance,” she said.
Tracey added that a wider range of interventions is needed to curb the obesity crisis. These include taxes on sugary drinks, marketing and labelling regulations and a clamp-down on overall sugar consumption.
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