Mindful eating and stress reduction

Simple mindful-eating and stress-reduction techniques can result in significant weight loss even without dieting, a new study suggests.

A University of California, San Francisco study published online in the Journal of Obesity found that the women in the study who effectively managed their stress lost the most deep belly fat, which is linked to higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, according to a UCSF press release. The study’s lead author, Jennifer Daubenmier, also emphasized the importance of recognizing habitual patterns related to emotional reactions like “reaching for a candy bar in response to feeling anger.”

The researchers found that women who recognized bodily sensations like hunger, fullness and taste satisfaction and learned stress-reduction techniques experienced a significant reduction in the stress hormone cortisol, which has been increasingly linked to obesity.