eat their rat chow. (Interestingly, they no longer want to run in their wheels, either.) When injected with the rat equivalent of cortisol, they suddenly develop a taste for things like sugar and lard — at the expense of their regular food.
The same study found that sweets and fats can quiet the stress alarm in a rat’s brain. The flood of stress hormones slows down, and the rat suddenly acts less annoyed. If it could talk, the rat would probably say it feels calm — the same feeling that humans often find at the bottom of an ice cream carton.
It’s often hard to translate findings from animals to humans. Still, a few studies suggest that cortisol can encourage people to overeat, too. For example, a study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology found that women who produced large amounts of cortisol during stressful situations also consumed more calories afterward.
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Stressful binges
As reported in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, subjects who were prone to eating binges tended to have higher levels of cortisol both when they woke up in the morning and after they completed a physically stressful task.
Researchers have found that stress may be especially dangerous — and especially fattening — for anyone with binge-eating disorder, a condition that causes people to periodically go on eating sprees that are beyond their control. As Gluck and colleagues noted in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, roughly 30 percent of people who seek medical treatment for weight loss have the disorder. The researchers point to stress as a key trigger of the disorder’s onset. However, binge eaters aren’t the only ones who overindulge when times get tough. While binge eaters feel like they lose control over food, other people may make a conscious decision to go for that extra brownie or slice of pizza, perhaps with the idea that a stuffed stomach will take their minds off their troubles.
Managing stress, slimming down
Whatever a person’s basic approach to eating, lingering stress can scuttle any efforts to lose weight. In the words of a report from the American Psychological Association, “Weight loss is never successful if you remain burdened by stress and other negative feelings. If you’re facing twin battles against stress and weight, calming your mind should be your first priority.
Laurel Mellin, a clinical psychologist at the University of California at San Francisco Medical School, has designed a weight-loss program that addresses this issue. To drive down the urge to overeat, she says, people must first find the tools to nurture themselves and set limits. Among other things, she recommends simply asking yourself two basic questions at least five times a day “How do I feel? What do I need?” Besides learning how to detect and deal with often buried feelings and needs, she suggests 30 to 90 minutes of exercise a day to help relieve stress and find balance.
Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all remedy for stress. Some people find relief through physical activity, relaxation exercises, yoga, or meditation. Others need to see a psychologist who can help them adjust their outlook on life and their approach to food. Still, others may need to make lifestyle changes, perhaps including more long walks and fewer late nights at the office.
The American Psychological Association does offer a few other tips for people trying to lose weight:
- Think about what you eat and why you’re eating it. Do you tend to overeat when you feel upset or sad? If so, remember that there are healthier, more effective ways to cope with stress.
- Avoid radical changes in your diet or activity level. Trying to reinvent yourself overnight will only add stress to your life. Instead, make changes slowly. For example, you can cut down the portion sizes of foods you already eat instead of switching to entirely new foods.
- Get support from family and friends. Encourage your entire household to make healthier food choices and find an exercise buddy. As a bonus, you’ll find that social support is an excellent buffer against stress.
Ice cream and chips can make a person feel better, but the feeling won’t last. In the end, staying healthy is the ultimate victory over stress.