{"id":77255,"date":"2023-06-28T08:44:34","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T13:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=77255"},"modified":"2024-04-06T04:15:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T04:15:08","slug":"how-chronic-stress-drives-the-brain-to-crave-comfort-food","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/how-chronic-stress-drives-the-brain-to-crave-comfort-food\/","title":{"rendered":"How chronic stress drives the brain to crave comfort food"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"When you\u2019re stressed, a high-calorie snack may seem like a comforting go-to. But this combination has an unhealthy downside. According to Sydney scientists, stress combined with calorie-dense \u2018comfort\u2019 food creates changes in the brain that drive more eating, boost cravings for sweet, highly palatable food and lead to excess weight gain.<\/p>\n

A team from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research found that stress overrode the brain\u2019s natural response to satiety, leading to non-stop reward signals that promote eating more highly palatable food. This occurred in a part of the brain called the lateral habenula, which when activated usually dampens these reward signals.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings reveal stress can override a natural brain response that diminishes the pleasure gained from eating \u2013 meaning the brain is continuously rewarded to eat,\u201d says Professor Herzog, senior author of the study and Visiting Scientist at the Garvan Institute.<\/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. This research highlights how crucial a healthy diet is during times of stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research was published in the journal\u00a0Neuron<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"From stressed brain to weight gain<\/strong><\/p>\n

While some people eat less during times of stress, most will eat more than usual and choose calorie-rich options high in sugar and fat.<\/p>\n

To understand what drives these eating habits, the team investigated in mouse models how different areas in the brain responded to chronic stress under various diets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe discovered that an area known as the lateral habenula, which is normally involved in switching off the brain\u2019s reward response, was active in mice on a short-term, high-fat diet to protect the animal from overeating. However, when mice were chronically stressed, this part of the brain remained silent \u2013 allowing the reward signals to stay active and encourage feeding for pleasure, no longer responding to satiety regulatory signals,\u201d explains first author Dr Kenny Chi Kin Ip from the Garvan Institute.<\/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

The researchers discovered that at the centre of the weight gain was the molecule NPY, which the brain produces naturally in response to stress. When the researchers blocked NPY from activating brain cells in the lateral habenula in stressed mice on a high-fat diet, the mice consumed less comfort food, resulting in less weight gain.<\/p>\n

Driving comfort eating<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers next performed a \u2018sucralose preference test\u2019 \u2013 allowing mice to choose to drink either water or water that had been artificially sweetened.<\/p>\n

\u201cStressed mice on a high-fat diet consumed three times more sucralose than mice that were on a high-fat diet alone, suggesting that stress not only activates more reward when eating but specifically drives a craving for sweet, palatable food,\u201d says Professor Herzog.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrucially, we did not see this preference for sweetened water in stressed mice that were on a regular diet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stress overrides healthy energy balance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn stressful situations it\u2019s easy to use a lot of energy and the feeling of reward can calm you down \u2013 this is when a boost of energy through food is useful. But when experienced over long periods of time, stress appears to change the equation, driving eating that is bad for the body long term,\u201d says Professor Herzog.<\/p>\n

The researchers say their findings identify stress as a critical regulator of eating habits that can override the brain\u2019s natural ability to balance energy needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis research emphasises just how much stress can compromise a healthy energy metabolism,\u201d says Professor Herzog. \u201cIt\u2019s a reminder to avoid a stressful lifestyle, and crucially \u2013 if you are dealing with long-term stress \u2013 try to eat a healthy diet and lock away the junk food.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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

Photo by Tijana Drndarski<\/a><\/p>\n

Original post \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Peer-Reviewed Publication<\/a> GARVAN INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL RESEARCH<\/p>\n

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This research was supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council (project grant 1066809). Professor Herzog is a Conjoint Professor at St Vincent’s Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney. Dr Kenny Chi Kin Ip is a Conjoint Lecturer at St Vincent’s Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Disclaimer:<\/strong>\u00a0AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re stressed, a high-calorie snack may seem like a comforting go-to. But this combination has an unhealthy downside. 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