ZEBA HAQUE , DARAKHSHAN J HALEEM

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Background: Job stresses have been identified as one of the factors influencing eating behavior and lead to altered BMI. It is hypothesized that stress perception may alter serum levels of serotonin and possible correlation between serum serotonin and stress hormones help to understand stress related obesity in working women.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Biochemistry Department, University of Karachi. One hundred adult women working 8 hrs/day were identified by stratified random technique from teaching institutes and banks. They were grouped as having perception of no/minimal, mild, moderate and severe, on the basis of the scores they achieved from answering the standardized questionnaire. The serum levels of stress hormones, leptin and serotonin were measured by ELISA. Appetite was measured by VAS for hunger and desire to eat.

Results: Applying ANOVA revealed that BMI of the women who perceived moderate and severe stress was significantly higher (p<0.01). Serum cortisol, noradrenalin and leptin levels increased with the level of stress perception (p<0.01) and displayed a negative correlation with serum serotonin. The serotonin levels in circulation decreased with elevated stress perception (p<0.01). The appetite showed a significant higher correlation with stress levels (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Working Pakistani women are moderately stressed and also have higher than normal BMI. Stress reactivity is associated with high cortisol, NA and leptin in circulation. The low serotonin levels in circulation may be considered as marker of stress. It is however not clear that the stress level and BMI in working women is greater than men working in same environment or women not in any job.