explanations of stress and eating

Question 1

explanations

Answer 1

1. Sensory
   - eating a food could alter mood via sensory/ hedonic
   effects
2. Physiological
   - Mood / emotions could influence food choice via
   physiological effects that change appetite
   - OR alteration of mood could occur via food choice (= also
   sensory/hedonic effects)
3. Psychological
   - cognitive expectations; personality characteristics, low
   mood.

Question 2

physiological explanations

Answer 2

1. Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis

if chronically stressed negative feedback system is blunted- results in more cortisol and glucose staying in the body
negatively effects eating and homeostatis

chronic stress= more glucose, more preference for high fat food
more hunger

2. Opioidergic mechanisms
   ▫ Involvement in reward (stimulating appetite of palatable foods) and adaptive responses to stress and discomfort
   ▫ Opioid mediated relief of stress (via food selection)

The opioidergic system plays a key role in the brain’s reward system, especially in the consumption of highly palatable foods (e.g., sugary, fatty, or salty foods).
When people consume these foods, the opioidergic system is activated, releasing endorphins (endogenous opioids) that make them feel good. This provides relief from discomfort or stress, creating an adaptive (short-term) response to stress.
2. Opioid-Mediated Relief of Stress
“Opioid mediated relief of stress (via food selection)”:
During stress, eating palatable foods can activate the opioid system, which helps reduce stress by triggering feelings of comfort and pleasure.
This explains why people often reach for “comfort foods” when stressed—it’s a physiological mechanism tied to stress relief through food.
▫ Subject to chronic activation and downregulation
- food addiction- dopamine

Question 3

psychological- escape theory

Answer 3

. Escape theory (Heatherton & Baumeister, 1991)
▫ Overeating as an attempt to shift attention (escape)
from an ego-threatening stimulus that causes aversive
self-awareness
- Affect self-regulation
- Distraction technique
- Associated with threats to self-image (self-esteem,
mood…)

Question 4

psychological0 limited capacity hypothesis

Answer 4

Dieting and preoccupying cognitions associated with
deficits in the functioning of working memory
components (e.g. Vreugdenberg, Bryan & Kemps, 2003)
Ward & Mann (2000); Boon et al., (2002)
- Disinhibited intake occurs in restrained eaters if there
are limitations on their cognitive capacity (demanding
tasks), regardless of any emotional component
- At that stage, effects on emotional eaters unexamined

e.g. a demanding task- asking restrained eaters to do additional demands is enough to produce disinhibtion