European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

STRESS AND FOOD ARE INTERRELATED

Dr. Anil Batta* and Dr. Surjit Singh Mal

ABSTRACT

Obesity is a heterogeneous construct that, despite multiple and diverse attempts, has been difficult to treat. One conceptualization gaining media and research attention in recent years is that foods, particularly hyperpalatable (e.g., high-fat, high sugar) ones, may possess addictive qualities. Stress is an important factor in the development of addiction and in addiction relapse and may contribute to an increased risk for obesity and other metabolic diseases. Uncontrollable stress changes eating patterns and the salience and consumption of hyperpalatable foods; over time, this could lead to changes in allostatic load and trigger neurobiological adaptations that promote increasingly compulsively behavior. This association may be mediated by alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity and other appetite-related hormones and hypothalamic neuropeptides. At a neurocircuitry level, chronic stress may affect the mesolimbic dopaminergic system and other brain regions involved in stress/motivation circuits. Together, these may synergistically potentiate reward sensitivity, food preference and the wanting and seeking of hyperpalatable foods, as well as induce metabolic changes that promote weight and body fat mass. Individual differences in susceptibility to obesity and types of stressors may further moderate this process. Understanding the associations and interactions between stress, neurobiological adaptations and obesity is important in the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies for obesity and related metabolic diseases. A study carried out describes the impact of a major school examination on eating behavior in medical students where each student served as his own control. Food eaten was recorded on the day of an examination (D0) and on a control day (D7) identical to the former but without a stressful school event. Results revealed that the total energy intake (2225 ± 49 kcal vs. 2074 ± 48 kcal; p ⩽ 0.01) and amount of fat in the diet (38.3 ± 0.5 per cent vs 36.8 ± 0.6 per cent; p ⩽ 0.05) were significantly increased on the day of the examination. Energy intake in girls was affected by the stressful event (+ 135 kcal; p ⩽ 0.05) while the level of fat in the diet was modified in boys (+ 1.9 per cent; p ⩽ 0.05) on day D0. The ninetieth and tenth percentiles for the energy variable showed that students who had low-energy intake on the control day increased their intake on the day of the examination while students whose energy input was high on the control day decreased consumption on the day of the examination. These results suggest that a major stressful event in school may induce significant changes in eating habits in high-school students.

Keywords: Obesity, Food Addiction, Stress, HPA axis, Mesolimbic, Dopaminergic System.