Psychological and Metabolic Correlates of Obesity in African-Americans and Caucasians

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify whether there are unique biological, behavioral, psychological, and environmental factors specific to African-Americans that may promote the development of obesity. Chronic stress levels and the hormonal and metabolic responses of 63 Caucasian and African-American men and women to two metabolically-relevant events a metabolic load (standardized meal) and a metabolic demand (standardized exercise) were assessed. The hormonal and metabolic responses included hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hormones (i.e.,adrenocorticotropin hormone and cortisol) and insulin responses to a meal. African-Americans reported higher levels of perceived chronic stress, but had lower plasma levels of the stress hormone cortisol than did Caucasians at baseline and throughout both testing sessions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 24, 2006
Accession Number
AD1014221

Entities

People

  • Christie S. Oates

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
  • Depression
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Health Services
  • Human Behavior
  • Hypertension
  • Medical Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychology

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Exercise and Sports Science.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Women's Health and Cancer Risk Research: African American Women and Pregnancy Outcomes.