Scientific studies relate stress to the consumption of junk food by those who suffer from it, which causes the brain to turn off the mechanism that tells us when we are really satiated. The relationship between stress and the consumption of junk food increases the tendency to suffer from obesity.
A study in mice from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, showed that there are “findings that stress can override a natural response in the brain that decreases the pleasure one gets from eating, resulting in the brain being continually ‘rewarded’ for eating”, quotes the Sport portal.
For this reason, during episodes of stress, it is very important to have healthy foods that provide a feeling of satiety as your first choice and discard those that contain high levels of sugar.
We recently published a list of foods that you can eat among others and healthy snacks that you can consult.
Medical research shows that “chronic stress, combined with a high-calorie diet, can drive increased food intake, as well as a preference for sweet and highly palatable foods.”
The stress hormone and reward
On the effects of cortisol, known as the stress hormone, he explains that it contributes to our stomach ‘closing’, which results in most people eating more junk food.
Under stress people tend to eat foods rich in calories, sugar and fat, or what is the same, ultra-processed and unhealthy foods.
Dr. Chi Kin Ip explains that “an area known as the lateral habenula, which is normally involved in switching off the brain’s reward response, is activated in mice placed on a short-duration, high-fat diet to protect the animal from Eat excessively”.
While in chronically stressed mice “this part of the brain remained silent, allowing reward signals to remain active and promoting pleasure eating, ceasing to respond to regulatory signals of satiety.”
“Stressed mice on a high-fat diet consumed three times as much sucralose as mice on a high-fat diet without stress. This suggests that stress not only triggers a higher reward when eating, but also drives the desire for sweet foods”, explains Professor Herbert Herzog.
Although it is a study carried out with mice, what is clear is that “stress can compromise a healthy energy metabolism”.
Studies, research and doctors recommend a healthy lifestyle, with a good diet rich in nutrients to avoid hunger spikes, exercise and avoid stress.
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