Why stress makes your blood sugar spike — and why too much stress makes you fat
Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When a mouse is scared, its brain tells its liver to make more sugar for energy — even without hormones from the pancreas or adrenal glands. But if the mouse is scared too often, this brain signal stops working, and its blood sugar stays high even when calm, leading to weight gain.
Surprising Findings
The brain can trigger liver glucose production without any adrenal or pancreatic hormones.
For decades, scientists assumed stress-induced hyperglycemia was entirely hormone-driven (cortisol, adrenaline, glucagon). This study proves a direct neural pathway bypasses them entirely.
Practical Takeaways
If you're chronically stressed and struggling with weight or blood sugar, consider stress reduction (meditation, therapy, sleep) as a metabolic intervention—not just a mental health one.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When a mouse is scared, its brain tells its liver to make more sugar for energy — even without hormones from the pancreas or adrenal glands. But if the mouse is scared too often, this brain signal stops working, and its blood sugar stays high even when calm, leading to weight gain.
Surprising Findings
The brain can trigger liver glucose production without any adrenal or pancreatic hormones.
For decades, scientists assumed stress-induced hyperglycemia was entirely hormone-driven (cortisol, adrenaline, glucagon). This study proves a direct neural pathway bypasses them entirely.
Practical Takeaways
If you're chronically stressed and struggling with weight or blood sugar, consider stress reduction (meditation, therapy, sleep) as a metabolic intervention—not just a mental health one.
Publication
Journal
Nature
Year
2025
Authors
J. Carty, K. Devarakonda, R. O'Connor, A. Krek, D. Espinoza, M. Jimenez-Gonzalez, A. Alvarsson, R. Hampton, R. Li, Y. Qiu, S. Petri, A. Shtekler, A. Rajbhandari, K. Conner, M. Bayne, D. Garibay, J. Martin, V. Lehmann, L. Wang, K. Beaumont, I. Kurland, G. Yuan, P. Kenny, S. Stanley
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Claims (6)
When scientists turn on a specific brain circuit in mice that connects fear and stress areas to the metabolism control center, the liver starts making more sugar from scratch—even though the stored sugar in the liver doesn’t change.
When mice are stressed over and over, their brain’s stress response system gets duller, so they stop spiking their blood sugar when scared—and eventually end up with high blood sugar and weight gain, especially if they eat a lot of fatty food.
When mice get suddenly scared or stressed, a specific part of their brain sends a signal to their liver to quickly make more sugar, and this happens without needing their stress hormones or insulin/glucagon from the pancreas.
When you're stressed, a specific part of your brain sends a signal to your liver to make more sugar, and this happens because your body's 'fight or flight' system gets turned on.
When you're under sudden stress, your liver quickly makes more sugar and releases it into your blood so your muscles have extra energy to react.