How Does Stress Affect Our Figure?

How does stress affect eating habits?

Without a doubt, stressful situations are a serious challenge for the body. Stress can be emotional (related, for example, to a conflict or a professional challenge) or physiological (related, for example, to a temporary illness or fatigue).

Stress activates various adaptive reactions of the body, e.g. increases the ability to focus or sensitivity to stimuli. In some situations, we can talk about “good stress”, which strengthens motivation and a sense of fulfillment. However, long-term, chronic stress causes the blurring of positive mechanisms and disruption of homeostasis, i.e. the body’s balance. One of the physiological processes that is often disrupted as a result of stress is nutrition.

Importantly, the impact of stress on eating behaviour is individual and depends on the specific situation and the specific person. According to research, in stressful periods and situations:

• about 40% of people reduce the number of calories consumed and objectively eat too little in relation to the body’s needs,
• about 40% of people increase the number of calories consumed and objectively consume too much food in relation to their needs,
• about 20% of people do not change their eating habits.

Of course, the response to stress in one person can also vary depending on the stressor or the length of the stressful period. Usually, acute and short-term stress (e.g. nervousness before an important presentation or meeting) result in a lack of appetite, while long-term and chronic stress causes overeating.

The report of the American Psychological Association shows that:

• 38% of adults say they have eaten unhealthy snacks or overeaten due to stress in the past month. Half of them admit that it happens to them once a week or more often.
• 33% of people who admit to emotional eating say that they do it because it helps them stop thinking about a stressful situation. 34% say that this behaviour is already routine for them.
• Emotional eating episodes are also associated with negative thoughts about yourself and your body. They affect the majority of respondents.

The impact of stress on eating habits seems to affect women more than men. 43% of women admit that they have overeaten due to stress in the past month (compared to 32% of men). 36% of women admit that they have missed at least one meal in the last month because of this.

Chasing dopamine

Whether you eat more when stressed or tend to skip meals, most people prefer specific foods at this time. According to research, in stressful situations, we are much more likely to reach for fast food, calorific snacks, foods with high calorie density, sweets and other products commonly known as “comfort foods”. We consume them when we feel overwhelmed or sleepy. Why is that?

Consumption of “tasty” (rich in sugar and fat) foods causes the activation of structures in the brain responsible for the secretion of dopamine. Dopamine is responsible for the feeling of pleasure and motivation. The release of dopamine will therefore reduce tension and stress levels in the short term. Our brains perceive such food as a “reward” and a distraction from the stressful situation. In the short term, it is not dangerous, but “emotional eating” of tasty snacks in search of dopamine releases can cause us to fall into a vicious circle:

1. Long-term stress increases the desire to eat high-calorie food.
2. High-calorie food causes overweight and obesity.
3. Being overweight and obese contributes to increased inflammation.
4. Inflammation (among other negative effects) weakens dopamine signalling.
5. The need for a more intense stimulus (e.g. a larger portion of junk food) increases to achieve the same dopamine release and pleasure effect.
6. Overeating and weight gain increase.

This system is even more complicated and includes certain brain receptors, called kappa-opioid receptors. They are activated in a stressful situation to relieve pain. Their side effect, however, is a decrease in dopamine levels. This drives the vicious circle even more. Chronic stress blocks dopamine and makes high-calorie foods even more desired. This promotes excessive eating, weight gain, increased inflammation and, consequently, even more stress.

Stress and hunger

Sudden and acute stressful situations activate various mobilisation mechanisms – blood pressure rises, glucose is released, and energy is produced from triglycerides. These are evolutionary adaptation mechanisms aimed at quick action and fight against the stressor, as well as immediate support of the most important organs for a quick response: the heart, muscles and brain. Activities such as digestion or food intake recede into the background. It is for this reason that when we are suddenly stressed, we often do not feel appetite.

When stressful situations are prolonged, increased levels of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone, may persist in the blood. Long-term elevated cortisol contributes to increased appetite and the desire to eat high-sugar and high-fat products. It is a biological mechanism and adaptation thanks to which the body gets a dose of energy in a stressful situation. In an emergency, cortisol can have a mobilising effect, but when its high levels persist for longer, metabolic disorders, overeating, obesity and the consolidation of unhealthy eating habits occur.

As a result of calorie surpluses and insulin and glucose spikes associated with increased cortisol levels, the so-called stress belly, also known as the cortisol belly, can form. The stress belly is characteristically convex, bloated and compact. It is mainly made up of adipose tissue surrounding internal organs called visceral fat. High levels of visceral fat put us at risk for a number of health problems related to inflammation, including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and even cancer.

There are also many behavioural causes of stress-induced eating. Food can:

• distract attention from the stressor, problem and worries,
• occur as a result of patterns learned and repeated for a long time,
• be a method to calm down and be a kind of calming ritual,
• be a way to relieve boredom, feelings of loneliness and/or isolation.

People on the opposite spectrum who turn away from eating under stress most often do so because of:

• a real lack of hunger,
• feeling tight in the stomach, nausea or other psychosomatic symptoms that deter from eating,
• forgetting meals due to being overwhelmed by other thoughts or responsibilities,
• lack of time for meals.

The impact of stress on eating habits

Stress and food are often linked. Therefore, it is worth consciously looking at your eating habits. Thanks to this, you can notice the tendency to eat or avoid meals under the influence of emotions and react accordingly. Situations that may indicate emotional eating include:

• frequent eating despite not feeling hungry,
• forgetting to eat for a few or several hours during the day,
• reaching for something to eat when feeling sad or overwhelmed,
• feelings of guilt after certain meals or binge eating episodes,
• considerable weight gain or loss without change in activity,
• feeling intense cravings for specific products or groups of products, especially during stressful times,
• loss of control over the size of portions of certain foods consumed,
• quick consumption of meals and/or snacks, without focusing on the taste and texture of the food,
• difficulty in refraining from eating despite being aware of the negative impact of individual products on health and figure.

How does stress affect the figure?

The impact of stress on the figure is closely related to the food consumed. Whether a person gains weight, loses weight or does not change their body weight as a result of stress depends entirely on the energy balance. Eating fewer calories than your daily requirement will lead to weight loss, while eating more will lead to weight gain. Of course, these effects will not manifest themselves immediately, and a noticeable change in body weight will take place after a week at the earliest.

Since stress affects eating habits in different ways, the way it affects your body shape and weight depends primarily on your individual situation and response to stress.

On the one hand, sudden stress causes a kind of acceleration of metabolism, increased thermogenesis and even release of energy stored in the body. If this is combined with reduced appetite and leads to skipping meals, weight loss can be expected. Most often, there is a (less dangerous) fat loss and (unfavourable) loss of lean body mass. This is an undesirable process, especially in the elderly, as it leads to weakness, reduced muscle strength and joint mobility, and these are more difficult to rebuild in old age.

On the other hand, stress in many people contributes to an increase in the consumption of calorific and low-quality meals, frequent snacking, overeating and inattentive eating. In such case, the calorie demand is most likely exceeded and weight gain occurs. If this coincides with high cortisol levels, excessive fat accumulation in the abdominal area and the formation of a “stress belly” can develop.

Both processes are not beneficial in terms of health, so taking care of healthy eating, even in stressful times, is very important. A properly planned menu can help counteract some of the side effects associated with the impact of stress on the figure and, consequently, the health of the entire body.

What and how to eat during stressful periods?

The best way to minimise the impact of stress on eating habits is simply to avoid stressful situations and prevent chronic stress. The reality, however, is that this recommendation is rarely implemented. Here are some tips to facilitate nutrition despite stress:

1. Set and implement the minimum plan

Let’s face it: stressful times in life are not a good time to implement all healthy habits from A to Z. Make a minimum plan and think about what healthy habits you can implement or maintain so that you don’t have to stress about eating or not fulfilling the plan. Adapt the plan to actual resources, it does not have to be perfect.

Perhaps it will be helpful to reduce the number of meals during the day? Temporarily giving up cooking on your own and supporting yourself with “ready-made” products from the store? Limiting the number of workouts per week?

2. Keep it simple

Stock up on simple and easy-to-prepare (or not requiring preparation) snacks. A stressful and tense time in life is not conducive to complicated meals (unless it is your favourite way to relax). As a result, you may want to reach for unhealthy processed food more often than usual.

3. Shop for simple and nutritious products that you can reach for when you don’t have time to cook.

Bananas, fruit, cherry tomatoes, drinkable yoghurts, crispbread and rice cakes, nuts, peanut butter, skyr, cottage cheese, frozen fruit, protein puddings, sliced vegetables, hummus, dried fruit... Always have a healthy snack at hand and you will reduce the chance of snacking on unhealthy and processed ones.

4. Get support

In a stressful period, all nutritional facilitations are desirable. If your meals are ready or almost ready, there is a greater chance that you will reach for them. Consider using a box diet, use “ready-made” products with good ingredients and semi-finished products, use the meal prep techniques, and do not hesitate from asking your loved ones for help in organising the menu.

5. Reach for soft and light dishes

With acute stress, the feeling of lack of appetite can effectively deter you from eating. Don’t force yourself to eat heavy and hearty dishes, and opt for light meals. Semi-liquid dishes, yoghurts, cheese, puddings, work particularly well. Home-made smoothies, purees or soups will also be an excellent choice.

If the loss of appetite associated with stress is prolonged and manifested by weight loss, consider using protein supplements and/or high-energy nutritional preparations available in pharmacies. Also, get inspired by tips for gaining weight.

_References:

1. _{Yau Y. H., Potenza M.N., Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva Endocrinol, 2013 Sep;38(3):255-67, PMID: 24126546, PMCID: PMC4214609.}
2. _{American Psychological Association. (2013, January 1), Stress and eating. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/eating}
3. _{Björntorp P., Do stress reactions cause abdominal obesity and comorbidities? The International Association for the Study of Obesity, Obesity Reviews, 2 (2), 73–86, 2001.}
4. _{Odegaard A. O., Jacobs Jr. D. R., Steffen L. M., Van Horn L., Ludwig D. S., & Pereira M. A., Breakfast frequency and development of metabolic risk, Diabetes Care, doi: 10.2337/dc13-0316, 2013.}
5. _{Hill D., Conner M., Clancy F., Moss R., Wilding S., Bristow M., & O’Connor D. B. (2021). Stress and eating behaviours in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review, 16(2), 280–304, https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2021.1923406}