What are the risks associated with neuropeptide Y?

Neuropeptide Y may be a common pathway for chronic emotional stress and other chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease and diabetic retinopathy (diseased blood vessels in the eyes, which can lead to blindness). It also stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, called angiogenesis. This is a factor in not only weight gain but also cancer and may help explain the relationship of obesity to increased cancer risk.

How much stress causes your body to secrete neuropeptide Y is, in part, genetically determined. Stress-induced increases in neuropeptide Y are particularly high in people who are of northern European descent and make them especially vulnerable to a greater incidence of atherosclerosis, obesity, and diabetic retinopathy. So if you’re of northern European descent, you may want to go a little further in the healthy direction on the Spectrum if you’re trying to lose weight.

Find out more about this book: The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer,...

Buy Book