by Stephanie Scott
Twinkie by nataliej
Stressful situations cause the production of cortisol, a stress hormone. This hormone causes an increased heart rate, diversion of blood flow to muscles, and metabolic changes, which allows energy to be made ready for use by the muscles. All of these responses aim to aid in survival in stressful, and possibly life-threatening, situations. This mechanism works through a negative feedback system, so the stress response is able to quickly shut itself off and allow the body to function normally again.
Generally, this is not the type of stress that college students deal with in their lives. With ever-increasing demands from classes, the responsibility of being on one’s own, possible financial responsibilities, lack of sleep, substance abuse (or decisions about whether to take part in such activity), and trying to figure out how to balance everything, stress levels are often elevated in college students. If students do not learn to manage their busy lives, it can lead to chronic stress.
Chronic stress affects the body using the same mechanism as a regular stress response. However, chronic stress causes the body to produce cortisol in a routine manner to allow the body to physiologically respond to the stressful situations it is placed in, and these stress responses do not shut themselves off using a negative feedback system. When a response that requires much energy does not shut off, it quickly depletes the body’s energy supply. This can lead to food cravings– especially cravings for high-energy foods containing much sugar and fat. These foods are favorable because they tend to be deposited as fat in the abdomen, and abdominal fat is easily accessible by the liver to be used for energy. Also, these abdominal fat deposits send out metabolic signals that turn off the stress response in the body. Therefore, eating high-energy foods is important when dealing with chronic stress because it allows the body to gain energy deposits so the body can function once previously stored fat deposits have been depleted by energy-consuming stress responses.
When college students are dealing with chronic stress, it is easy to see how weight gain could be promoted. Though it is important to get the high-energy foods to allow the body to deal with stress, these foods can also lead to significant weight gain. When stress is also paired with other new things in college, such as an abundance of unhealthy foods and unhealthy substance abuse, weight gain is not unlikely. While stress may not be the only reason for weight gain, learning to deal with and reduce stress is extremely important. It is not healthy to deal with stress only through eating. Students must also learn to handle their stress in other ways, such as exercise, meditation, dealing with situations before they become troublesome, or just generally finding a better balance in their lives. If people do not learn to gain more control over their lives and do not learn to deal with and reduce stress, they may carry these habits out of college, and this strongly contributes to the obesity epidemic affecting our country.
References:
Estroff Marano, H. (2003, November 21). Stress and Eating. Psychology Today, Retrieved from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200311/stress-and-eating
National Health Ministries. (2004). Stress & The College Student. Retrieved from http://www.uic.edu/depts/wellctr/docs/Stress%20and%20the%20College%20Student.pdf
It is pretty obvious that completely halting stress eating is not the easiest way to go, or the most plausible, so what healthy alternatives are there? Whenever you want to nervously munch on something, what should you go to grab instead of that chocolate bar? Blueberries and oranges, which are very rich in Vitamin C help to keep the free radicals that are released when you’re stressed, in check, while both fruits help to defend the body from the cumulative side effects of stress. Blueberries also have a high amount of fiber, which helps regulate blood sugar levels, which tend to fluctuate with high amounts of stress. Green vegetables are also another healthy alternative because of their potassium levels. Potassium helps to calm the nerves we all feel when in a highly stressful situation. Another easy alternative, although it is not a food, is to stay hydrated with water. Even a mild state of dehydration can put stress on your entire body, while sending your nerves soaring.
http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/foodshelpre_ttzz.htm
Comment by Cebe Loomis — March 28, 2010 @ 1:11 pm
One way to deal with the problem of stress-induced weight gain is to increase physical exercise. This will not only prevent weight gain by burning calories and increasing fat-burning muscle mass, but it has also been shown to decrease stress itself. As discussed in this post, decreasing stress will curb stress-induced eating of high fat foods. A study was done where adolescents were put into physical training groups of varying intensity, then they were asked to self-report on their psychological well-being, including stress level. This showed a very strong negative correlation between physical exercise and psychological stress (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8V-45Y23WM-40&_user=557743&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F1992&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1276940377&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000028458&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=557743&md5=cdc4f271cacde223969d2bc77137b8d). A study in Finland poled people about the amount of exercise they got, and their various levels of psychological distress (i.e. distrust, anxiousness, etc.), and found a similar correlation (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WPG-45K11G2-4&_user=557743&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2000&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1276940446&_rerunOrigin=scholar.google&_acct=C000028458&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=557743&md5=26393b68538ad8c67d91e5b94604497a). So maybe going to the gym is the best way to combat college stress AND the freshman-fifteen!
Comment by Charlotte Gutfreund — March 31, 2010 @ 8:02 pm
I liked reading through this article because being in my first year of college I know exactly what the article is talking about with the eating and stress. It was interesting to find out why sometimes I just want to eat something if I am stressed out. Like the article said, there are alternatives to eating these kinds of foods. I try to pick a healthier alternative when I am faced with the situation. Better foods than eating a chocolate bar or bingeing on sweets is bananas, fish, baked potatoes, avocados, chicken and dark green leafy veggies. All are loaded with B vitamins.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200302/eat-right-fight-stress
Comment by Lindsay Haggerty — March 30, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
Stress eating can lead to some problem eating behaviors, including night-eating syndrome (NES), which is an eating pattern characterized by morning anorexia and evening binge eating. In a 2009 study, Wichianson, Bughi, Unger, Sprujit-Metz, and Nguyen-Rodriguez tried to determine the relationships between perceived stress levels, strategies for coping with stress, and NES in college students. As predicted, there was a positive relationship between stress levels and night-eating. Regarding coping strategies, maladaptive strategies (such as substance abuse) were found to have a moderately significant effect on this relationship. However, it was observed that adaptive coping strategies didn’t have as much influence (meaning that using adaptive coping strategies didn’t have a direct negative correlation with NES). Although stress is something that most, if not all, college students experience, care must be taken in order to prevent detrimental long-term health conditions (such as NES) from forming.
References:
Wichianson, J.R., Bughi, S.A., Unger, J.B., Sprujit-Metz, D., and Nguyen-Rodriguez, S.T. (2009). Perceived stress, coping, and night-eating in college students. Stress and Health 25:235-240.
Comment by Alyssa Alcasabas Pabalan — March 30, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
Discovering the chemistry behind stress eating is quite interesting. I did not know that cortisol was behind stress eating nor did I know why the foods go to our abdomens. Looking into stress eating, I found that stress can result in either under or overeating. This may be due to having a busy and stressful life where one does not have time to eat, or if they do have time to eat, they eat all that they can in order to sustain themselves for later. Moreover, men tend to be more effected by stress eating in terms of weight gain then women (Torres 2007). I think that this may be due to the pressure of society on women to look a certain way, whereas it is less so than men, resulting in men eating more carelessly or even more than women when they are stressed.
References.
Torres, S.J., Nowson, C.A.. (2007) Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity.
Comment by John Lee — April 7, 2010 @ 3:21 pm
Another method of dealing with stress is to talk to a friend about the issues that you are having, laugh about it, but whatever you do don’t hold it in. You should also remove yourself from the stressful environment, socialize or do something fun then recite positive words envisioning yourself solving the problem.
Better organization for future events is also a good way to deal with stress in advance, stress often comes when we feel that we do not have sufficient control over the course our lives are going to take (e.g. the stress of flying in an airplane is greater than that of riding in a car because we feel we have more control in a car.)If we plan ahead we won’t have the stress that can come from doing things at the last minute.
References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/headroom/transcripts/stress_txt.shtml
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-thinking/SR00009
Comment by Alyssa Pratt — April 18, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
Interestingly enough it appears the “eating a chocolate Bar” may not be as bad as it appears. That is, eating a dark chocolate bar. It has been known that dark chocolate’s antioxidants and other substances can reduce the risk of getting heart disease as well as lowering blood pressure (Grassi), yet more recent studies have shown a decrease in stress hormones as well. According to a clinical trial done y the American Chemistry Society, a consumption of 40 grams during a 2 week period reduced emotional stress.
References:
D. Grassi, G. Desideri, S. Necozione, C. Lippi, R. Casale, G. Properzi, J. B. Blumberg, and C. Ferri. Blood Pressure Is Reduced and Insulin Sensitivity Increased in Glucose-Intolerant, Hypertensive Subjects after 15 Days of Consuming High-Polyphenol Dark Chocolate. J. Nutr., September 1, 2008; 138(9): 1671 – 1676.
American Chemical Society (2009, November 12). New evidence that dark chocolate helps ease emotional stress. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/11/091111123612.htm
Comment by Tarah Woodle — April 18, 2010 @ 9:35 pm
Overeating has become a coping mechanism for our society to help deal with stress. In a world where everyone is on the run, it’s easier to grab a snickers bar than go for a workout, when dealing with stress. For college students this is hyper intensified by the amount of stress they are put under in a concentrated amount of time. Unfortunately these high levels of stress can lead to weight gain from over eating which may cause low self-esteem and depression. These side effects are unfortunate and effect all ages including children. According to Healthtree.com children especially have problems coping with self-esteem issues due to weight gain. Stress effects all ages of people and their eating habits.
References:
Stressed induced eating disorders can lead to obesity, Health Tree, (2009), http://www.healthtree.com/articles/stress-and-health/stress-induced-eating-disorders.php
Comment by Samantha Garcia — April 18, 2010 @ 10:25 pm
i often eat fast food or drink red bull during times of high stress. i find that it either relaxes me or drives me to focus on the task at hand. i know full well that it is an unhealthy habit, and from reading this article and i now understand why. during exam time, most people tend to stop their extra-curriculars in order to focus on studying and revision, as an athlete i have found over the years that continuing my sports during high stress periods actually makes me study better even if it means studying for an hour less in a day.
the cortisol build up and high blood pressure, is greatly reduced through exercise which helps relax the mind and body. it also takes your mind off your work which actually allows you to focus better when you get back to it!
Comment by Rahul Kanade — April 24, 2010 @ 4:01 pm
I offer an alternative/supplementary explanation for eating high-energy foods in times of stress): There was an interesting piece in an episode of Radiolab (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/) a while back that dealt with poor eating in a stressful situation, but not the stressful situation you would probably imagine (by stressful, I really mean taxing and engaging). In this study (if I remember correctly), participants were asked to remember a difficult string of numbers (e.g. 17, 48, 77, 182, 5, 43, 273) or an easy string (e.g. 1,2,3,4,5) and then asked to walk down a hallway into the next room. In that hallway would be a person from the study who would stop the subject and offer him/her a snack “as a thanks for participating in the study.” The subjects had the choice of a big slice of yummy chocolate cake or a small, healthy fruit cup (or of course, no snack–this is just a friendly offer). The surprising result was that subjects trying to remember a difficult string of numbers overwhelmingly chose the unhealthy, high energy, high fat snack, whereas the subjects with easy cognitive task were far more likely to choose the healthy snack or no snack. Researchers interpreted these results in that being engaged in a demanding cognitive task preoccupies the intelligent, rational part of the brain that allows you to make smart decisions like avoiding unhealthy food. In this case, your older brain takes over and you allow yourself to go for the tasty, high-energy food that any less intelligent animal would chose. (Of course, we call the chocolate cake the less intelligent choice assuming that a subject isn’t in dire need of calories and would benefit more from no snack or a healthy one.) So, chronic stress may make you reach for that doughnut every morning (and perhaps for good reason), but you might not want to make your dietary choices at the dining hall while trying to finish up that problem set, unless you’re not worried about going for the chocolate cake.
Comment by Christopher Lloyd — May 2, 2010 @ 11:30 pm
Stress eating is likely a cause behind the “freshman fifteen”. College freshman are often overwhelmed by the extreme pressure of schooling, and this stress can lead to overeating and weight gain. Exercise is a much better way to deal with stress, but with time constraints on assignments, and the extent of college procrastination, people may skip physical activity in order to meet a deadline.
Comment by Michelle Harvey — May 3, 2010 @ 10:06 am
Stress can can have a negative impact on ones life in ways other than causing excessive eating. People have different coping mechanisms for stress, for example smoking. People who have quit smoking are much more vulnerable to a relapse in times of high stress. In addition, many people have a genetic predisposition to stress. Certain people will be more likely to get stressed often, which therefore makes them more likely to pick up bad habits as an outlet for this stress. The best coping mechanism is to direct the stress to something healthy, such as exercise, which can distract you from bad habits.
Comment by Nikki Aldeborgh — May 3, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
As a college student, I recognize the difficulty in maintaining a healthy lifestyle while balancing school, work, sports, etc. Stress piles on from all different directions, and eating certainly seems to help me when I am feeling particularly stressed out. On the flip side, and not surprisingly, I have also found that working out is especially useful if not better for combating stress. It is a healthy alternative to eating unhealthy foods that will ultimately make your body feel worse. Then again, is it really the college student’s fault? With so many temptations around (specifically all-you-can-eat buffets in the dining hall), it’s no wonder that the Freshman 15 is a sad reality for many college students. If we can learn to work through our stress (either through exercise, meditation, etc.), then perhaps the Freshman 15 will become more myth than fact!
Comment by Tracy B — May 4, 2010 @ 12:45 am
In addition to an increase in cravings for sugary or fatty foods, another aspect of weight gain due to chronic stress can be attributed to the link with sleep disturbances. I myself find that it is harder to sleep when I am stressed, something that often raises my stress levels higher. A study presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies found that people with chronic stress report shorter sleep duration and worse sleep quality. Another study also presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies found a link between extended or shortened sleep duration and weight gain.
References:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2009, June 10). Study Shows A Bidirectional Relationship Between Chronic Stress And Sleep Problems. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/06/090610091236.htm
American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2009, June 16). Extended Or Shortened Sleep Duration Linked To Weight Gain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/06/090611071357.htm
Comment by 105 student — May 4, 2010 @ 8:07 am
As a college student, I understand the rigors of college life and understand how stress eating can evolve into a serious problem that involves a battle with one’s weight. But, there are ways to avoid stress eating, such as, “shifting perspective. Stress eating is a habit not a force beyond your control, and habits can be broken or converted into healthier habits; Giving yourself better food options. If you just have to munch on something, then give yourself healthier choices. It’s also better to give yourself choices versus saying no all together because deprivation will only add to the already existing anxiety filled feelings; Do not look at or watch the news with a bag or plate of empty calorie foods in hand. This is just asking for mindless eating and an over eating disaster; When you feel the jitters and anxiety build up, take a break and go move, exercise, or workout to burn the stress off. Just move. Sitting or stagnating in anti-motion is just adding fuel to your stress fire making you more inclined to put your hand in that bag of chips or cookies. Moving will not only get you physically out of your space for a moment and help you release that tension; it will get your head out of the focus on lack; Point your focus on what you do have (abundance) instead of what you don’t have or lost (lack).” By following these simple steps, one is able to overcome the daunting Freshman 15.
Reference:
http://www.backinskinnyjeans.com/2008/10/5-ways-to-avoid.html
Comment by Kelsey Domb — March 2, 2012 @ 4:39 pm
The “freshman 15” is a very common term used to describe college freshman who gain weight the first year of college. College brings on a lot of new situations, work, and responsibilities. With all these responsibilities comes stress. The way people cope with stress is eating food that gives them pleasure. For most people, this type of food is unhealthy sweets and fatty foods. As a college freshman, I completely agree that it is hard to find healthy food in the cafeteria and sweets are readily available, making it very easy to gain wait. A way to fix this issue is to find other ways to cope with stress as well as find healthy substitutes to munch on rather than sweets. Many schools offer nutritionists, which can be helpful for students dealing high amounts of stress and turn to food to relieve their stress.
Comment by Ava — April 11, 2012 @ 1:29 pm
When people refer to the “freshman fifteen,” there are often implications of increased alcohol abuse in college which cause the weight gain. This is correlated with the “beer belly” many people complain about getting in college. Although college students are inevitably exposed to different, probably less nutritious foods in college, I have found that most of my friends have stayed generally true to their eating habits from before college. It would be interesting to solely look at college students who do not participate in substance abuse, and see if they have comparable weight gains to those college students who do regularly drink alcohol. I would believe those who drink alcohol would have significantly higher weight gain.
Furthermore, as a college student, I feel like most of my stress comes from the high expectations from college classes. I think it would be interesting to compare the weight gain at schools with more “prestigious” reputations verse schools with supposedly lower academic standards.
Comment by 105 student — April 15, 2012 @ 11:49 am
I can definitely see how all of the stress in college can lead to increased weight gain, especially since many of the stressors faced by college students are not the kind that can be dealt with by a fight or flight system. While cortisol may be helpful for escaping a bear, it doesn’t seem to help much when I need to be able to write two essays and a blog post. It seems like college students have a harder time getting the “release” that would lead to a negative feedback system to reduce the stress.
I wonder if any research has been done about whether exercise can help lower cortisol levels, and therefore decrease the cravings for fatty food? If so, it would seem like even more of a reason to exercise!
Comment by Willow Carter — April 29, 2012 @ 2:50 pm
I really liked this post. I’ve always realized then when people become stressed they tend to eat more- hence the freshman fifteen or weight gain during depression or extended periods of anxiety. However I really liked the way the post explained why this happens. I had no idea that cortisol levels in my body had anything to do with my eating habits!
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Comment by Jugnu Sehgal — August 25, 2012 @ 11:17 am
This post helped me understand the reasons of why I gained weight my freshman year of college. During my first semester of college I was always conscious of what I ate and tried to stay healthy by exercising at least once a day. However second semester, I decided to increase my course work and take 2 labs while playing a sport in the spring. I became very stressed and had less time to do my homework and study for classes. Instead of exercising to cope with the stress, I ate high-energy foods that were high in fat and sugar. By the end of the semester, I gained over 20 pounds and was very unhappy with my body image. When I returned back to college this year (after losing all the weight +more) I decided to set guidelines/rules involving my eating habits. The number one rule is to to use exercise and meditate as ways to deal with my chronic stress.
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Comment by http://find.hamptonroads.com/ — December 4, 2012 @ 6:45 am
While most people know about the freshman fifteen and the likely reasons, this article makes the important point that chronic stress leads to over-eating. It can also lead to more serious physical effects. It is important for all students, especially new students, to establish stress-relieving activities and make time for them in their busy schedule. It is easier to grab a snack and continue running around to meetings or spend more hours studying. Though it takes more time, it is healthier to plan time during the day to relax and take a break from all the of stressors of college life. Setting time aside every day for exercise, healthy eating, and relaxation can reduce stress dramatically. Consciously scheduling breaks for personal health is an important step in adjusting to college life.
Comment by Hannah — February 23, 2013 @ 1:19 pm
I found this article to be very interesting because while many students are very familiar with the concept of stress-eating, not many people understand why stress-eating even exists. I never realized that stress-eating was just the result of energy depletion, and I never understood why stress-eating always made me crave Candy or Chocolate as opposed to fruits or vegetables. It seems as if sleep would be a major contributor to stress-eating, in that someone who got very little sleep the previous night would probably be a lot more stressed out the next day and have a lot less energy for the body to use.
Comment by Psych105 Student — April 9, 2013 @ 7:46 pm
I found this article very interesting, because although I’ve always thrown around the term “stress eating,” and joked with my friends about how we eat when we are stressed, I never knew that there was an actual physiological reason that caused you to do so. I always thought that eating when you were stressed was a practice that people learned in a social context, by watching other people do it. I assumed it was a form of trying to comfort and treat yourself with food to make yourself feel better. It is very interesting to learn that chemical processes in your body actually make you crave fatty foods, and this is a cause of much stress eating.
Comment by Heather Ingraham — April 11, 2013 @ 9:24 am
I think the key to dealing with the stress we all experience constantly as college students is moderation. Stress eating is definitely a problem and should be addressed along with the other big factors of obesity like our culture’s massive soda habit, but since eating sugary or fatty foods really does help lower cortisol levels and decrease our stress response, what’s wrong with having a piece of chocolate when you’re feeling especially stressed out? As long as you know your portion sizes and are aware of your stress and your response to it, a little treat to cope with a particularly stressful day shouldn’t effect overall weight.
Comment by Julia Moy — May 5, 2013 @ 9:50 am
Whenever I was stressed in high school I would look forward to dinner more than any other time of the day. I always thought it was because I knew I needed to eat dinner, so it was a time period when I had a real excuse not to be studying or doing work. I never really thought about the fact that it also could have been the result of craving the food itself.
I was definitely lucky in high school to have a constant supply of healthy food for dinner, but, as a college freshman during finals week right now, I’m finding the same response happening, with much more easy access to unhealthy food than healthy food. What seems to work best for me in limiting stress (and eating poorly because of it), is to spend a long period of time eating with friends. If I’m doing something fun to take my mind off the stress, and giving myself as much time as I need to eat, I’m less likely to gravitate towards foods that will fill me up quickly. Based on this article, techniques like this may have less to do with my actual stress response, but it would be interesting to see how social interactions come into play with this.
Comment by Hannah — May 14, 2013 @ 10:19 pm