Long-Term Stress/Anxiety Orders and Adrenaline Resistance

Voyagersixone

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
1,988
Reaction score
1,007
Points
113
Hi

Throwing out an abstract question here:

Could a potential effect of long-term stress (either lifestyle-related or due to an illness such as anxiety) be the resistance to adrenaline/epinephrine in stimulating lipolysis?

It may be a long shot - but curious to see what’s out there. I’ve seen studies regarding the long term effects of cortisol (on behalf of stress) and its contribution to the obese, but nothing specific to adrenaline.

Elaborating a bit - in the body’s effort to maintain homeostasis, it adapts in a number of ways. Insulin resistance is an example. If the “fight or flight” mechanism is in a constant state of engagement, doesn’t it make sense that fat would eventually become resistant to the constant adrenaline onslaught? And if so, wouldn’t that make drugs like ephedrine (that stimulate adrenaline) less effective?

or I could be nuts. Just an idea - that I can’t seem to find a factual yes or no on yet. Would love the discussion.
 
Last edited:

Trump

Unstoppable Force
Joined
Mar 30, 2018
Messages
5,843
Reaction score
7,799
Points
283
I have bad anxiety at Times and the smallest dose of ephedrine makes me wired. I would say your just weird

Hi

Throwing out an abstract question here:

Could a potential effect of long-term stress (either lifestyle-related or due to an illness such as anxiety) be the resistance to adrenaline/epinephrine in stimulating lipolysis?

It may be a long shot - but curious to see what’s out there. I’ve seen studies regarding the long term effects of cortisol (on behalf of stress) and its contribution to the obese, but nothing specific to adrenaline.

Elaborating a bit - in the body’s effort to maintain homeostasis, it adapts in a number of ways. Insulin resistance is an example. If the “fight or flight” mechanism is in a constant state of engagement, doesn’t it make sense that fat would eventually become resistant to the constant adrenaline onslaught? And if so, wouldn’t that make drugs like ephedrine (that stimulate adrenaline) less effective?

or I could be nuts. Just an idea - that I can’t seem to find a factual yes or no on yet. Would love the discussion.
 

Viduus

Elite
Joined
Feb 4, 2018
Messages
2,560
Reaction score
2,382
Points
0
If you need adrenaline to burn fat - you’re doing it wrong. For bodybuilding a laid back personality is actually very beneficial... blunts cortisol.
 

gymrat827

Elite
SI Founding Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
6,771
Reaction score
1,900
Points
198
your going too deep and technical for basic fatloss.

Cut cals and up physical activity. Done
 

CJ

Mod Squad
Joined
Feb 24, 2014
Messages
20,725
Reaction score
38,446
Points
383
Systemic stress is bad for everything.

'nuff said.
 

chicago311

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2019
Messages
214
Reaction score
75
Points
28
man i took ephedrine one time for 3 days... and thought i was going to kill someone.... NEVER EVER AGAIN
 

Voyagersixone

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
1,988
Reaction score
1,007
Points
113
To clarify my reason for posting: this is hypothetical, not necessarily related to me.
 

Voyagersixone

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
1,988
Reaction score
1,007
Points
113
your going too deep and technical for basic fatloss.

Cut cals and up physical activity. Done

respectfully disagree that this immediately works for everyone. Think sometimes there are other issues in play (as we know with imbalances in thyroid/low test/etc). Just posing the question.
 

BRICKS

Veteran
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
11,349
Points
333
To answer the OP question, no. Norepinephrine is the primary neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system, acetylcholine for the parasympathetic system. Your bodies response to either doesn't change over time because of stress/anxiety. Now, your perception of stressful/anxiety producing events does. Example: when I started what some would say is a high stress job 25 years ago, there was stuff that got my adrenaline pumping that today doesn't phase me. Similar to living close to railroad tracks. First couple weeks that train wakes you up till eventually you have been exposed to it enough that you sleep through it. But back to the adrenaline (epi/norepi), no when your adrenals release you respond.

Put another way, prolonged stres/anxiety does not cause resistance to epinephrine/norepinephrine. You become habituated to the stress and are not secreting it to begin with.
 
Last edited:

BRICKS

Veteran
Joined
Aug 30, 2016
Messages
5,073
Reaction score
11,349
Points
333
respectfully disagree that this immediately works for everyone. Think sometimes there are other issues in play (as we know with imbalances in thyroid/low test/etc). Just posing the question.

Explain immediately. Cutting cals isn't gonna cut fat immediately. Are you in a deficit if you cut 500 cals below mail tenancy today? Yes, so what. Its one day. Nothing's going to be noticeable for a couple weeks at least. And if your'e actually in a calorie deficit, yes, you will lose weight, regardless of low thyroid or low test. Where else is the energy to meet your BMR/TDEE going to come from. Only 2 places I know of. What you input and what you have stored. And if your'e not inputting enough (deficit) that only leaves the stored.
 

Voyagersixone

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
1,988
Reaction score
1,007
Points
113
To answer the OP question, no. Norepinephrine is the primary neurotransmitter of the sympathetic nervous system, acetylcholine for the parasympathetic system. Your bodies response to either doesn't change over time because of stress/anxiety. Now, your perception of stressful/anxiety producing events does. Example: when I started what some would say is a high stress job 25 years ago, there was stuff that got my adrenaline pumping that today doesn't phase me. Similar to living close to railroad tracks. First couple weeks that train wakes you up till eventually you have been exposed to it enough that you sleep through it. But back to the adrenaline (epi/norepi), no when your adrenals release you respond.

Put another way, prolonged stres/anxiety does not cause resistance to epinephrine/norepinephrine. You become habituated to the stress and are not secreting it to begin with.

that makes a great deal of sense.
Definitely understand the habituation you’re levels of stress reducing the amount of hormonal reaction, but good to know there isn’t a downregulation that goes with it when the response remains high.
 

Voyagersixone

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2019
Messages
1,988
Reaction score
1,007
Points
113
Explain immediately. Cutting cals isn't gonna cut fat immediately. Are you in a deficit if you cut 500 cals below mail tenancy today? Yes, so what. Its one day. Nothing's going to be noticeable for a couple weeks at least. And if your'e actually in a calorie deficit, yes, you will lose weight, regardless of low thyroid or low test. Where else is the energy to meet your BMR/TDEE going to come from. Only 2 places I know of. What you input and what you have stored. And if your'e not inputting enough (deficit) that only leaves the stored.

Good call. I should been more articulate... by immediately I should have instead stated that mitigating factors can alter TDEE/BMR such that the average caloric drop to stimulate fat loss doesn't necessarily apply.
 

New Threads

Top