Description

This video by TV360 offers you expert advice on stress and its effects on eating habits and appetite.

Transcript

How Stress Alters Eating Habits Manny: Hi I am Manny from Newark, New Jersey. Why does stress make people feel the need to eat more or eat smaller portions of food? Does it really alter their appetite or their metabolism? Charles Raison: Great question Manny, so let’s start with the middle part of it. Yes, stress definitely alters metabolism and it also alter people’s appetite. In response to stress people will eat more or less. Different people tend to go different directions. When people eat more interestingly they tend to be more likely to eat foods that are high in fat and high in sugar. The so called the comfort foods, why the stress do this? Well the hormones and neurotransmitters, the chemicals that are released in response to stress also have big effects on appetite. And interestingly when people eat especially comfort foods that can really change the hormones in their body, that change how they feel emotionally. For instance foods that are high in fat and high in sugar very often caused opiate type chemicals to be released in the body or serotonin to be produced and both these chemicals tend to make people feel better so I think there is really a link going all directions but very clear that stress effects how you eat and what you eat can affect your mood.