Stress makes us rush towards obesity-causing meals!

A recent study confirmed that people really crave snacks and fast food when they are stressed due to events in their lives.

Researchers from Australia and New Zealand surveyed 137 adults about their eating habits, feelings of stress and cravings, over a period of one week.

Participants reported craving more food, and eating more junk food in general, when the stress they were experiencing on a particular day increased.

The study was conducted by sports and health researcher Sheena Liu of the University of Western Australia in Perth and her colleagues.

“Feelings of stress and anxiety may alter eating behavior,” the team wrote.

They added that stress also affects “the types of foods that individuals consume. Both individuals who suffer from stress and emotional eating often seek out palatable, energy-dense foods and drinks rich in sugar and / or saturated and trans fats.”

They explained that emotional eating is that which relates to those who tend to overeat in response to negative feelings, and in particular, when facing anxiety and stress.

In the study, researchers asked participants to report their levels of stress and anxiety according to a specific scale that focuses on feelings of anxiety, nervousness, panic and anxiety.

The team’s analysis revealed that participants reported a craving for carbohydrates, sweets and fast food on days when they felt more stressed.

Moreover, the more stressed people were, the more sweets and fast food they reported consuming, along with greater amounts of food in general.

These findings encourage further investigation into the ways in which food cravings lead to subsequent consumption, the team writes.

And they continued that future studies should take “more into account the role of individuals” in eating habits and food preferences.

They pointed out that “given the high prevalence of stress and stress in our society, further research to determine the basic mechanisms of eating induced by emotions is important if we are to mitigate it and its harmful health effects.”

The full results of the study are published in the journal Eating Behaviors.

Source: Daily Mail