Our body is multifaceted and changes in response to ongoing environmental and internal demands. People tend to look at Body (chemistry) — Food (nutritional components) –Emotions as a one way relationship. In fact, any one of these three components can be a starting point, an end point, or a link within a chain reaction involving the other two parts.

The diagram below picks the beginning-point “stress” and flows from there. It would have been just as valid to choose any other point of the diagram to begin, or even to have the components flow in the other direction. But “stress” is such a common problem that it makes sense to begin there.

Questions related to the Diagram

• How does stress alter our body chemistry?
• Why do we gravitate toward eating certain types of foods when under stress?
• How well does food work to reduce stress?
• What are some good ways to deal with stress?

How does stress alter our body chemistry?

When under stress, our body increases its production of a number of hormones. The particular hormone that is produced depends upon the degree of stress one encounters. Acute stress (e.g., life or death situations) stimulates the release of epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) while chronic stress (e.g.., mourning, anxiety, and separation) tends to stimulate the release of corticotrophin (ACTH) and cortisol. Stress can also stimulate the release of other hormones, while at the same time inhibiting the release of others. The release of extra epinephrine and cortisol is intended to prepare our body for action. They act to shift our organ systems into overdrive, preparing us to dig in and tackle the situation or to flee from it as quickly as possible. Either response could result in preserving life or, at least, diminishing the threatening agent to the point where it no longer poses a danger.

If we think of the diagram above as representing a continuously flowing system that is subject to fluctuations due to internal and external agents, we begin to see that our emotions are affected by both body and brain chemistry, and vice versa. For example, when cortisol courses through the body in greater than normal amounts, metabolism is affected. Energy is shifted quickly from key storage areas to the muscles, readying them for action. We are all familiar with what we experience when we have “a close call”. But we also know that the symptoms associated with that flood of adrenaline will not last long. The entire system has a feedback loop built into it so that once the emergency is dealt with, the release of cortisol drops back to its normal rate. This is accomplished by cortisol itself, acting as its own shut-off messenger. When it reaches the brain it commands it to stop the body’s production of the hormone. But under conditions of chronic stress the system does not shut off. When we are under chronic stress cortisol production continues, leading us to feel anxious, hypervigilant, and depressed (1).

Why do we gravitate toward eating certain types of foods when under stress?

While the brain “instructs” the body to produce and release certain chemicals to deal with stress, these chemicals also have an affect on the mood center of the brain. In addition to the direct influence of brain chemistry on our emotional state, there are also physiological influences accounting for alterations in mood. These include the direct benefit we obtain from the nutritional content of food as well as the body’s access to its own energy storage sites (e.g., fat deposits). Because of its close proximity to the liver, abdominal fat can be more easily broken down as a source of energy. However, in times of chronic stress this source of energy cannot be broken down quickly enough to replace what is being utilized, so we tend to seek out a fast replacement in the form of fat- and sugar-laden foods. They replace our depleted energy reserves and, because they are usually highly palatable, they act as a “comfort food” as well. The problem is that while sweet, fatty foods low in protein may alleviate stress in some people by raising serotonin levels, the over-consumption of such foods often leads to abdominal obesity.

Among individuals, psychological characteristics that predict the tendency to choose comfort foods when stressed include neuroticism, depression, premenstrual dysphoria (PMS), and those who engage in emotional eating (2). This study also found that when meal size and food content were closer to the eater’s habit, expectations and needs, their mood was also more likely to be positively affected.

How well does food work to reduce stress?

Based upon the evidence so far, we know that food selection is determined in part by the presence of hormones and other neurotransmitters. Different patterns emerge depending on whether we encounter acute stress or prolonged stress. Food acts to restore energy reserves depleted as a result of chronic stress. Individuals differ from one another in terms of how they react to stress. For example, a study by Oliver, et.al. revealed that stress did not alter the overall amount of food eaten by the participants, but that stressed emotional eaters ate more of the sweet high-fat foods and a more energy-dense meal than unstressed and nonemotional eaters (3).

We know that if food selection were merely an immediate and necessary response to the body’s demands in times of stress (including ordinary hunger), we would have less difficulty with obesity. But individual food preferences are also based on food experiences and attitudes around eating. Overweight and obese individuals show a tendency to select the type of foods that contribute to and maintain these conditions. So while food plays an important role in reducing stress, it can also produce stress in the form of physiological and psychological complications. The most common ones we see are those arising from obesity and the type of health problems that so frequently accompany long-term reliance on inappropriate food choices.

There is evidence to suggest that some people respond to stress by selecting food for its chemical effects while others choose foods to meet emotional needs. Emotional eaters don’t necessarily eat greater quantities of food; they eat more foods that are higher in fat and in starch, sugar, and salt content. Information gleaned from surveys taken after 9/11 indicated that approximately 15% of Americans ate more comfort foods, while an additional 14% reported eating more sweets. Two months after the terrorist attacks, one in ten Americans had gained weight. This example of emotional eating demonstrates the power of stress in altering eating behavior.

REF:

Margret E Woltjer Ph.D

See also:  Tips for dealing with stress

and:     Stress-less foods

and more tips for breathing away stress