Blame those love handles

clipped from timesofindia.indiatimes.com New Delhi: Don’t know why you are putting on so much weight? Blame the stress at work and at home. In a study to show how stress has a direct effect on fat accumulation, body weight and metabolism, scientists have demonstrated that neuropeptide Y (NPY), a molecule the body releases when stressed, can unlock Y2 receptors in the body’s fat cells, stimulating the cells to grow in size and number. Herzog said the finding basically showed that when we have a stress reaction, NPY levels rise in our bodies, causing our heart rate and blood pressure to go up. Chronic stress therefore has damaging effects.