Stress has been taking a toll on our physical as well as mental health, which can lead to digestive issues, migraines, and anxiety. And when we fail to cope with stress, we tend to eat foods rich in sugar and fat, which could increase the risk of obesity.
According to a new study published in Cell Metabolism, consuming comfort food when you are stressed may cause more weight gain than eating when you are not stressed.
Lead study author Herbert Herzog looked at how stress or lack of stress affected weight gain in mice when they were fed high-calorie diet. The team found that in the stress environment, the mice gained more weight than those who had the same diet but were not in the stress environment.
The team wondered what the exact cause of the weight gain was. Upon further investigation, the researchers discovered a molecule known as NPY, which was driving the stress eating, and when the production of NPY was turned off, weight gain reduced.
The team explained that NPY production cannot be suppressed, so it is important to reduce stress and avoid processed foods.
The researchers also explained that the NPY production might be linked with the insulin levels as the stress-eating mice had higher insulin levels than those in the stress-free environment. The higher insulin levels helped increase NPY production, which further triggered more stress eating and weight gain.
Herzog said, “Our findings revealed a vicious cycle, where chronic, high insulin levels driven by stress and a high-calorie diet promoted more and more eating.” Another lead study author Kenny Chi Kin Ip, said, “This really reinforced the idea that while it’s bad to eat junk food, eating high-calorie foods under stress is a double whammy that drives obesity.”
