{"id":105892,"date":"2024-11-06T17:33:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:33:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?post_type=news&p=105892"},"modified":"2024-11-06T17:33:42","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T17:33:42","slug":"is-stress-causing-you-to-binge-eat-heres-how-to-deal-with-it-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/is-stress-causing-you-to-binge-eat-heres-how-to-deal-with-it-experts-say\/","title":{"rendered":"Is stress causing you to binge eat? Here\u2019s how to deal with it, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone knows that stress can cause you to eat \u2014\u00a0but a new study confirms that those who find themselves frequently overwhelmed can develop a dependency on bad-for-you comfort foods.<\/p>\n

Researchers published in the journal\u00a0Neuron<\/a>\u00a0said that stress can override components of the brain that treat sweets and junk food\u00a0as occasional rewards<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0making us crave them everyday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe showed that chronic stress, combined with a high-calorie diet, can drive more and more food intake as well as a preference for sweet, highly palatable food, thereby promoting weight gain and obesity,\u201d said\u00a0senior author Herbert Herzog<\/a>\u00a0of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings reveal stress can override a natural brain response that diminishes the pleasure gained from eating \u2014 meaning the brain is continuously rewarded to eat\u2026when experienced over long periods of time, stress appears to change the equation, driving eating that is bad for the body long term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, the scientists focused on the brain\u2019s lateral habenula, which regulated the reward signals of food.<\/p>\n

In a study with mice, the lateral habenula \u201cwas active\u201d and prevented overconsumption of high-fat diets in a control state.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, when mice were chronically stressed, this part of the brain remained silent \u2014 allowing the reward signals to stay active and encourage feeding for pleasure, no longer responding to satiety regulatory signals,\u201d said author Dr. Kenny Chi Kin Ip.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found that stressed mice on a high-fat diet gained twice as much weight as mice on the same diet that were not stressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

A particular molecule produced by the brain in times of stress called NPY is also to blame. When NPY was blocked from reaching the lateral habenula in test mice, they opted for less comfort food and lesser weight gain.<\/p>\n

Another test using water artificially sweetened with sucralose proved that there is also an inclination for the brain to dive right into its proverbial sweet tooth stash.<\/p>\n

\u201cStressed mice on a high-fat diet consumed three times more sucralose than mice that were on a high-fat diet alone,\u201d added Herzog.<\/p>\n

This suggests, he said, \u201cthat stress not only activates more reward when eating but specifically drives a craving for sweet, palatable food.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nutrition experts urge that mindful eating and really appreciating your food is the most effective way to combat long-term stress and the impacts it has on the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdeally, you should sit down and enjoy your food, and focus on the tastes, smells, and feel of it, even if it\u2019s just for five minutes,\u201d Ginger Hultin, a registered dietitian nutritionist\u00a0told Fortune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more stress-related information go to STRESS.ORG<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Photo by Criativithy<\/a><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Alex Mitchell<\/a>\u00a0 for The New York Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone knows that stress can cause you to eat \u2014\u00a0but a new study confirms that those who find themselves frequently overwhelmed can develop a dependency on bad-for-you comfort foods. 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