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Eating under stress leads to greater weight gain
It is known that stress affects our physical and mental health and can lead to migraines, digestive problems and anxiety, for example. When people can't handle stress properly, they often resort to foods high in sugar and fat to help them cope with their stress. Researchers have now found that consuming such foods under stress leads to greater weight gain than eating the same food in a stress-free situation.
In the current study by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Medical University Innsbruck, it was found that eating foods high in sugar and fat under stress causes consumers to gain much more weight than they do without stress. The results of the investigation were published in the English-language journal "Cell Metabolism".
Mice gained more weight under stress
The new study looked at how stress or lack of stress affects weight gain in mice with a high-calorie diet. The team, led by Professor Herbert Herzog from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, found that mice in the stressful environment gained more weight with the same diet than animals from a stress-free control group.
What role does the NPY molecule play in weight gain?
The researchers wondered what could be causing this unusual weight gain. After further investigation, they discovered that a molecule called NPY drives stress eaters. If the production of NPY is stopped, the excessive weight gain also decreased. People cannot completely suppress the production of NPY, but we may be able to limit production by reducing stress and avoiding the consumption of processed foods, the researchers explain.
Stressed mice had higher insulin levels
It turned out that the production of NPY appears to be related to our insulin levels because the stressed mice had higher insulin levels than the animals in a stress-free environment. These increased insulin levels also increased NPY levels, leading to more stressful eating and weight gain. The results therefore show a true vicious circle in which chronically high insulin concentrations driven by stress and a high-calorie diet promote an increasing intake of food, according to the researchers. In general, the consumption of junk food is not recommended. However, if such food is consumed under stress, this increases the weight gain significantly, which leads to a higher risk of obesity, the authors report.
How to protect yourself from being overweight and obese
Most people occasionally eat unhealthy foods under stress. This is normal. However, the study was not about eating with occasional stress, the researchers looked at chronic stress in connection with the consumption of processed foods. The results show that such a diet is the main reason for unhealthy weight gain. So, if you focus on reducing your stress levels and reducing the intake of processed foods (especially with stress), you can reduce your risk of excessive weight gain, obesity, and obesity. (as)