Daijiworld Media Network

Washington, Apr 28: A recent study suggests that binging on lip-smacking, high-calorie food items when one is under stress lead to additional weight gain.

According to an ANI report, a team of researchers discovered, in an animal model, that a high-calorie diet, when combined with stress, resulted in more weight gain than the same diet caused in a stress-free environment. They revealed a molecular pathway in the brain, controlled by insulin, which drives the additional weight gain.

Herbert Herzog, lead researcher of the study published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism said, “This study indicates that we have to be much more conscious about what we're eating when we're stressed, to avoid a faster development of obesity.” According to the study, while some individuals eat less when they're stressed, most increase their food intake - and crucially, the intake of calorie-dense food high in sugar and fat.

To understand what controls this 'stress eating', the researchers investigated different areas of the brain in mice. While food intake is mainly controlled by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, another part of the brain, the amygdale, processes emotional responses, including anxiety.

"Our study showed that when stressed over an extended period and high-calorie food was available, mice became obese more quickly than those that consumed the same high-fat food in a stress-free environment," explains Kenny Chi Kin Ip, lead author of the study.