Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a new connection between body fat and anxiety, offering fresh insight into how our physical and mental health are deeply linked.
Their findings, published in Nature Metabolism on April 15, 2025, suggest that changes in fat tissue during stress can actually trigger anxiety in the brain.
With anxiety and obesity both on the rise worldwide, this discovery could lead to better understanding and treatment options for people struggling with these common conditions.
The research team, led by Dr. Gregory Steinberg, found that when the body experiences psychological stress—like fear or worry—it triggers what’s known as the “fight or flight” response.
This response causes fat cells in the body to start breaking down stored fat through a process called lipolysis. As this fat is released, it signals certain immune cells in fat tissue to produce a hormone called GDF15.
Once released, GDF15 travels to the brain and appears to directly contribute to feelings of anxiety.
Dr. Steinberg, a professor of medicine and co-director of McMaster’s Center for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research, said this breakthrough could open new paths for both understanding and treating anxiety.
“Our study highlights just how closely connected our metabolism and mental health really are,” he explained.
The study was conducted using mice. Researchers examined their behavior and analyzed changes at the molecular level to better understand how stress affects fat tissue.
They found clear patterns linking the fat breakdown process, GDF15 production, and anxiety-like behaviors in the animals.
Dr. Logan Townsend, the study’s first author and a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster, believes this discovery could lead to entirely new ways to treat anxiety. “By understanding how stress changes the way fat cells behave, we might be able to develop therapies that prevent or reduce anxiety by targeting these metabolic pathways,” he said.
Interestingly, drugs that block GDF15 are already being studied for other conditions, such as cancer. This means there is potential to repurpose or adapt those drugs to help treat anxiety disorders in the future.
This study not only helps explain why stress and anxiety can feel so physically overwhelming but also reveals how deeply connected our body systems are. With more research, targeting the way fat tissue reacts to stress may become a new, science-based way to support mental health.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that avocado could help you lose weight and belly fat, and a keto diet for weight loss can cause flu-like symptoms.
For more health information, please see recent studies about unhealthy plant-based diets linked to metabolic syndrome, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
