Another likely cause of obesity: Stress
Worried about your weight? Careful, that could make you fat
In a recent post, this correspondent reported on a link that researchers had found between stress and fattening foods; specifically, that the latter is routinely eaten by people in order to reduce the former. Now, a study of 600 overweight or obese women by the University of California at San Francisco confirms that people who are under greater chronic stress are more likely to gobble up high-fat foods and to feel unable to control their hunger and eating habits.
Indeed, an earlier American Psychological Association survey found as many as half the adult population of the United States admitting that they overeat, or eat junky foods, or both, to help cope with stress. Based on a growing body of research, health professionals who’ve studied the linkage between stress and overeating now make a distinction between physical hunger and emotional hunger.
Maybe it’s time to start talking about a Stress Epidemic
The fact is, “emotional” or stress-based hunger might, at least in the United States, be more prevalent than the physical kind, given that 75 percent of American adults describe themselves as moderately or highly stressed, with 42 percent saying that their stress level is increasing.
As for American kids aged 8 to 17, a demographic that is fattening up at an alarming rate, over 40 percent say they worry about doing well in school, 30 percent about their family’s finances, and another 20 percent or so about their appearance.
The evidence is mounting that to the rogues’ gallery of Causes of the Obesity Epidemic — fast foods, soft drinks, video games, kids’ TV, etc. — it might be time to add stress.
What we eat when stressed
Incidentally, what bad foods do those who are stressed-out go for when they’re feeling the pressure? Well, 65 percent hit the candy and chocolate, 56 percent slurp up ice cream, 53 percent nosh on chips, 49 percent munch cookies or cake, and 46 percent head out for fast food.
As the math makes clear, the majority chow down on several of the above options.
(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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