Comfort eaters may consume less in good times

When faced with stress, does the very thought of food turn your stomach, or do you instantly reach for a burger and fries or a bar of chocolate? People who seek solace in food during times of stress are usually the ones told to regulate their bad habits, but new research from Germany finds that, in good times, stress eaters eat much less.

The research, published in Psychological Science, shows that both people who overindulge and those who shun food in times of stress compensate for their behavior in positive situations. Stress eaters eat less following a positive experience, while stress shunners eat more.

Overeating or eating unhealthy food when faced with stress is something 43% of Americans admit, according the study, while 36% confess to skipping at least one meal in the last month due to stress.

Questioning current wisdom

The study argues that stress eaters, or stress hyperphagics, are widely viewed as having "maladaptive self-regulation that contributes to weight gain and the current obesity epidemic." This negative attitude may, in itself, add to their stress levels, creating a never-ending cycle.

Stress hypophagics, or people who skip meals when stressed, may be seen as "lucky," and many health professionals and researchers assume that they do not need to change their behavior.

But the current research questions this belief. As lead researcher Gudrun Sproesser, from the University of Konstanz, explains:

"These findings challenge the simplistic view that stress eaters need to regulate their eating behavior to prevent weight gain. Both skippers and munchers have their 'soft spot' for food, they just show different compensatory eating patterns in response to positive and negative situations."

Stress after birth linked to comfort food preferences in adulthood

Researchers have found that rats exposed to heightened levels of stress during their first few days of life are more likely to be prone to anxiety and stress in later life, and prefer to consume sugary and high-fat foods.

The study was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB).

Adult rats that experienced stressful neonatal environments are more likely to feel stressed and seek "comfort" foods throughout adulthood.

"Comfort foods" are consumed in response to stress or anxiety, they are believed to play a huge role in the ever-growing obesity pandemic.

A study published in the Journal of Marketing, by Brian Wansink, revealed that people feeling sad tend to eat more of less-healthy comfort foods than when they feel happy.

Sproesser and colleagues recruited participants for the study using subterfuge - they claimed they were researching "first impressions." The 251 volunteers were invited to interact with an unfamiliar partner by video before meeting them in person.