A study has finally revealed why we tend to reach for comfort foods, usually fatty and sugary, when we are stressed.
You noticed that thewe threw ourselves more easily on fatty, sweet and comforting foods when we are stressed? There raison has just been unveiled by Australian researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. According to their study published on June 8 in the Neuron reviewTHE stress disables the lateral habenula (or LHb), an area of the brain that modulates eating behavior. It’s this area that gives the signal of satiety to stop eating when you are no longer hungry. It also produces a unpleasant response to a high-fat diet by turning off the reward circuitry in the brain. By disabling it, stress (especially when it is chronic) pushes us towards fatty foods.
To achieve this result, the researchers analyzed the behavior of mice subjected to chronic stress. When mice are stressed and eat fatty or sugary foods, their LHb remained silent and did not trigger the satiety signal. They then continued to eat “for pleasure” and not to be satisfied. THE stressed mice tended to consume three times more sugary foods than unstressed ones.
They also gained twice as much weight than other mice. And when the researchers reactivated their lateral habenula (using a specific so-called “optogenetic” light), the mice stopped “over” eating. Present in both mice and humans,the lateral habenula is a region of the brain (see the diagram on the right) which plays an essential role in the regulation of emotional response. When activated, it leads to frustration and emotional distress. When disabled or silent, it induces a reward response“, says Dr. Chi Kin Ip, who participated in the study.
Finally, the researchers point out that super appetizing foods stimulate the release of feel-good hormones like serotonin or the “happiness hormone”, which has an immediate effect on stress. The study thus suggests that chronic stress fuels the consumption of fatty and sugary foods (and therefore high in calories) and can promote the development of overweight and obesity.