UCLA study finds stress disrupts gut health and brain function

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• New UCLA review links social hardship to rising obesity rates in the U.S.

• Stress, discrimination, and limited access to resources disrupt gut health and brain function

• Researchers call for both systemic reforms and personalized care to combat obesity crisis

Obesity rates in the United States continue to climb, but new research suggests that poor diet and lack of exercise alone do not tell the full story. A scientific review from UCLA Health shows how social hardships, ranging from financial insecurity to experiences of discrimination, can alter gut bacteria and brain function in ways that increase the risk of obesity.

The review, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, focuses on the role of social determinants of health, including income, education, healthcare access, neighborhood disadvantages, adverse childhood experiences, and social isolation.

These factors, researchers say, can reshape the brain-gut microbiome system, which controls appetite, food cravings, metabolism, and exercise behaviors.

The scope of the problem

Currently, about 40% of American adults live with obesity, a condition linked to nearly $173 billion in annual healthcare costs. Obesity also fuels a rise in serious illnesses, including cancer. A recent study found obesity-related cancer deaths tripled in the U.S. between 1999 and 2020.

Lead author Dr. Arpana Church, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA Health, emphasized that obesity must be viewed as more than a matter of personal choice.

Reversing the escalating obesity epidemic in America demands a dual approach personalized, equitable care for individuals and bold, systemic policy reforms that address the root causes, Church said.

How the environment shapes the body

According to the review, low socioeconomic status often limits access to nutritious foods and reliable healthcare, while increasing reliance on cheap, processed options. In disadvantaged communities, constant exposure to stress, violence, and structural racism creates conditions that fuel obesity risk, researchers said.

These challenges trigger physical changes in the brain and gut. Chronic stress and poor diets disrupt brain networks that control decision-making, self-control, and reward systems, while also reducing gray matter volume.

Meanwhile, gut bacteria become less diverse, sparking inflammation that worsens cravings and weakens motivation. Even prenatal and early childhood experiences of adversity can program the brain-gut system in ways that increase lifelong susceptibility to obesity.

While the study points to the need for sweeping policy reforms such as improving access to healthy food, safe spaces for physical activity, and quality healthcare individuals can still take meaningful steps.

Church recommends focusing on affordable, nutritious foods, building social connections, and practicing stress management strategies such as journaling, physical activity, and spending time in nature.

Pet owners should check the packaging of their feed and keep an eye on their pets

Hawaii joins West Coast states in starting a new health alliance to replace CDC

• Hawaii becomes the fourth state to join the West Coast Health Alliance, expanding the coalition to include California, Oregon, and Washington in providing independent, science-based immunization guidance
• The alliance formed in response to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s removal of all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and their replacement with vaccine skeptics
• The coalition will coordinate health guidelines and align immunization recommendations with "respected national medical organizations" rather than following CDC guidance

Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced Thursday that his state is joining the West Coast Health Alliance, less than 24 hours after California, Oregon, and Washington launched the coalition to provide independent public health guidance amid what the states describe as the federal government's dismantling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Hawaii is proud to stand with our West Coast partners to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, not politics," said Green, an emergency room physician who became governor in 2022. The addition of Hawaii extends the alliance's reach to include roughly 57 million Americans across the Pacific region.

The four-state coalition represents a direct challenge to the Trump administration's overhaul of federal health agencies. In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine recommendations committee, calling it "little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine," and replaced them with advisers with a history of criticizing vaccine recommendations or questioning their safety.

Green emphasized Hawaii's public health track record, noting that "using science as our guiding star, Hawaii had the highest vaccination rate and lowest mortality rate of virtually any other state or region across the globe" during the COVID-19 pandemic. He called the alliance "critical as we all go forward into an era with severe threats from infectious diseases."

"Our guiding star"

The alliance states commit to ensuring public health recommendations are guided by safety, efficacy, transparency, access, and trust. Rather than relying on federal CDC guidance, the coalition will coordinate health guidelines and align its immunization recommendations with those of "respected national medical organizations."

In their joint announcement, the governors criticized recent changes at the CDC, stating that "leadership changes, reduced transparency, and the sidelining of long-trusted advisory bodies have impaired the agency's capacity to prepare the nation for respiratory virus season and other public health challenges."

The alliance said it will maintain respect for tribal sovereignty, recognizing that tribal nations retain authority over vaccine services for their communities. While each state will independently pursue strategies shaped by their unique circumstances, the shared principles will form the foundation for coordinated public health responses.

The formation comes as the states express concern about a "vacuum of clear, evidence-based vaccine guidance" that they say leaves manufacturers without reliable information for production planning, creates inconsistency in healthcare provider recommendations, and generates uncertainty for families about access and coverage.

In the coming weeks, the alliance plans to finalize shared principles aimed at strengthening public confidence in vaccines and public health more broadly, positioning the four-state coalition as an alternative source of scientific guidance independent of federal health agencies.

Planned workouts are feel the positive effects, researchers say

• Many studies suggest that planned, structured exercise, rather than casual activity, may slow epigenetic aging changes in DNA that reflect biological rather than chronological age.

• Experiments in both animals and humans show that targeted workouts like aerobic and strength training can actually reduce signs of aging at the molecular level in blood and muscle tissue.

• Measures of physical fitness, such as VO max and Olympic-level training, are linked to slower epigenetic aging across multiple organs, highlighting the lasting impact of staying fit.

We all know exercise is good for your body but what if it could actually slow down how fast your cells age?

Thats what scientists are calling epigenetic aging: changes in DNA regulation that dont alter the genetic code itself but can speed up or slow down how old your cells seem.

A recent review in Aging magazine teamed up human and animal research to explore how exercise not just walking around, but planned, purposeful workouts might push back this cellular clock.

The study

The researchers first made clear definitions for terms we all vaguely use interchangeably:

• Physical activity is any movement, like walking or cleaning.

• Exercise is deliberate, structured activity meant to boost fitness.

• Physical fitness is the outcome attributes such as strength or soaring VO max levels.
  

Then they reviewed two lines of evidence:

1. Animal studies Older mice underwent eight weeks of structured endurance and resistance training (called PoWeR). These mice showed fewer age-related DNA changes in muscle tissue, as measured by muscle-specific epigenetic clocks.

2. Human studies In one, middle-aged and older women who had been sedentary completed eight weeks of combined aerobic and strength training. The women who seemed epigenetically older at the start showed a detectable reduction in epigenetic age after the workouts. Observational studies also showed that people with higher cardiorespiratory fitness measured by VO peak and other markers tended to age more slowly at the epigenetic level.
   

The results and what they mean

Heres what came out of it all: Exercise seems to offer anti-aging benefits at the molecular level, particularly in muscle and blood. Passive movement or casual activity might not cut it structured and goal-oriented workouts appear to work best.

Even more intriguing: higher physical fitness think strong VO max or bodybuilders shows slowed epigenetic aging. Olympic athletes, especially those with long-term, intense training histories, also had lower epigenetic age compared to non-athletes.

Plus, theres emerging evidence that these benefits may extend beyond muscle to organs like the heart, liver, fat tissue, and even the gut.

That means your workouts could be doing more than toning your body they might be dialing back the aging timer inside you, if done in the right way.