Stress and Appetite are Linked

Researchers at University of Calgary reveal that stress plays a very important role in controlling appetite and said that increased stress for a long period increases the hunger drive in people and trick them into thinking that they are hungry even though they do not need the extra food. The study, published in the journal Neuron, was conducted by Jaideep Bains, and Quentin Pittman of the university’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute.

Conducting the experiment on rats, the researchers found that increased stress impaired the ability of the neurotransmitters controlling appetite to work properly.

“When we're stressed for prolonged periods, the stop signal to cease eating is not working properly. The circuitry is changed in appetite-regulation pathways. When people are stressed, some tend to eat more and this might explain why that happens”, the researchers said.



Source-Medindia