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A growing body of evidence suggests that stress affects health directly and indirectly through changes to behaviours which influence health. For example, recent research suggests that stress can contribute to both cardiovascular disease and cancer risk by producing harmful changes in diet and/or helping to maintain unhealthy eating behaviours such as high fat intake, or low fibre or fruit/vegetable intake. In this study, researchers at the University of Leeds investigated the relationship between stress and eating behaviour, in particular, snacking.

Key findings

Changes in eating behaviour associated with stress

• This study examined the stress caused by minor events (or hassles) such as losing your keys or an argument with a colleague. It was found that those who experienced one or more hassles in the day reported consuming less than usual in their main meals. However, those who experienced one or more hassles (both men and women) reported consuming significantly more between-meal snacks than usual.
  
• Experiencing one or more hassles per day is linked to the increased consumption of high fat and sugar snacks among women. And, on days when one or more hassle is experienced, both men and women consume significantly fewer portions of vegetables (but not fruit).
  
• Over a week, increasing hassles were associated with higher fibre and fat intake, particularly in men.

How different types of stress affect changes in eating

• By categorizing daily hassles into ego-threatening, interpersonal, work-related and physical stressors, researchers reveal that some types of stressors are associated with eating between-meal snacks while others are not. Findings show that ego-threatening, interpersonal and work-related hassles lead people to snack more. In contrast, physical stressors lead people to snack less.  

Who is prone to snack? 

• Researchers explored the relationship between the following groups and snacking: the obese and non-obese, the restrained (i.e. those attempting to control their food intake or dieters) and the unrestrained; women and men; emotional eaters (those who eat more when anxious or emotionally aroused) and non emotional eaters (those who show little reaction to emotion in their eating habits); external eaters (those prompted to eat by external stimuli such as smelling food) and internal eaters (those prompted to eat by feeling hungry); and those high or low on disinhibition (the tendency to overeat).
  
• Individuals who are high on restraint, emotional eating, external eating, disinhibition, the obese and females are more prone to snack due to daily hassles. In other words, individuals with higher levels of vulnerability are significantly more likely to consume increased snacks in response to daily stressors. In particular, being an emotional eater makes one prone to the effects of stress on eating.

The work environment and snacking

• Individuals who work in highly demanding and low control work environments (and whose eating styles are high on restraint, disinhibition, emotional and external eating) consume significantly more snacks when they experience one or more daily hassles. 
  
• Women, but not men, who work longer hours eat more high fat and high sugar snacks. Also women who work longer hours exercise less, drink more caffeine and, if they are smokers, smoke more.
  
• For men, working longer hours has no negative impact on exercise, caffeine intake or smoking. 
  
• Working long hours has one positive impact for both men and women - alcohol consumption is reduced.

About the study

Dr Daryl O'Connor, Professor Mark Conner, Dr Fiona Jones and Dr Brian McMillan of the Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds undertook this study. The researchers examined the daily hassles and eating behaviour of a sample of 422 participants (193 male and 229 female, mean age 40.32 years). Participants completed an initial demographics questionnaire (height, weight, age etc.), four daily (week long) diaries and a final questionnaire which assessed eating styles, the Big 5 personality dimensions, social support and psychosocial work environment. Weekly fat and fibre consumption was assessed using a self-report questionnaire.

Key words

Stress, health, eating behaviour, stressors, diet, diseases

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