Fat Stomach & Stress

In most modern lives, stress is unavoidable. Overextended schedules, rush-hour traffic and financial or relational worries can erode your sense of well-being. Prolonged periods of stress, however, can also take a toll on your physical health as they can cause fat to accumulate inside the abdominal cavity. There, it contributes not only to an expanded waistline, but also poses significant health risks.

Stress, Cortisol and Abdominal Fat

During a stressful event, the adrenal cortex--located on top of the kidneys--secretes a steroid hormone called cortisol. This hormone diverts blood glucose to the muscles and increases the heart rate and blood pressure in order to help you respond to a potential threat. If chronic stress keeps your cortisol levels high, however, the unused energy gets stored as fat. While fat deposits develop in many areas of the body, abdominal fat cells have four times as many receptors for cortisol as compared to other kinds of fat cells. This may increase the tendency to accumulate stress-related fat deposits in this region.

Cortisol and Appetite

Elevated levels of cortisol can also cause appetite increases and sugar cravings. A study conducted in 2000 by Elissa Epel at University of California, San Francisco, observed the food choices of 59 young women both after a stress session and a control session. Epel found that women with high cortisol reactivity ate considerably more calories after experiencing stress than the women with low cortisol reactivity. Both groups of women ate similar amounts on low-stress days. Also, high reactors demonstrated a clear preference for sweet foods. Epel's study was published in the January 2001 issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Health Risks of Visceral Fat

Unlike subcutaneous fat, the pinchable kind located just under the skin, abdominal fat, or visceral fat, accumulates inside the abdominal cavity right next to vital organs such as the liver, stomach and intestines. Visceral fat cells do more than simply store excess energy. The are biologically active, secreting hormones and other chemicals that lower metabolism and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. High levels of LDL cholesterol and lower levels of HDL cholesterol are also associated with excess visceral fat, according to Harvard Health Publications.

Waist Circumference

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends using a waist circumference measurement to determine if excess visceral fat poses a threat to your health. To do this, run a measuring tape around the narrowest part of your waist, near your navel, without pulling the tape so tightly that it pinches the skin. A waist circumference of more than 35 inches for women and more than 39 inches for men is considered high risk.

Visceral Fat Reduction

Taking up a daily regimen of moderately intense, physical activity for 30 to 60 minutes--such as brisk walking, jogging or swimming--can help you shed stress-related belly fat. Strength training can help as well, by improving overall body composition and preventing visceral fat from forming. Spot training with ab crunches, however, does little to affect visceral fat deposits.

Exercise also helps to manage stress, which is important for curbing cortisol levels. Other activities that can help you keep stress under control are yoga or meditation, relaxation techniques and a positive, supportive social network.