Study: Too Much Stress Can Make Your Children Fat

06 Mar 2014 --- It is a well-known fact that stress has a negative impact on human health. Research from a Belgian study, published late last year in Psychoneuroendocrinology, has revealed new findings related to the influence of stress in the unhealthy eating patterns of children.

The “Children´s Body Composition and Stress” study (ChiBS), which is linked to the IDEFICS study coordinated by the Leibniz-Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS (Bremen, Germany), investigated the association between levels of reported stress, the hormone cortisol and the dietary behaviour of children aged between 5 and 10 years in Aalter (Belgium).
 
During the study, the dietary patterns of the children were collected alongside a frequency questionnaire used to measure three different stress factors: Stressful Events, Negative Emotions and Problems. Problems revealed the strongest association with dietary patterns; the more problems experienced, the higher the frequency of consumption of sweet and fatty foods.
 
The second stress factor - Events - showed an effect on consumption frequency of fruits. The more stressful events experienced, the lower the amount of fruit consumed.
Whilst the third stress factor - Negative Emotions - was not related to any changes in food consumption frequency, the children also reported on their appetite for food in the presence of emotions (‘emotional eating’). And the study revealed that stressful events, negative emotions and problems were all associated with higher incidences of emotional eating.
 
To test the hypothesis, salivary cortisol samples were taken from the children four times a day. An increased level of cortisol indicates that a person is stressed and can induce an unhealthy eating behaviour owing to influences on reward pathways and appetite. Higher cortisol levels were associated with increased frequent consumption of sweet foods, leading to the conclusion that high cortisol levels were therefore linked to an unhealthier dietary pattern. These findings support the theory of cortisol-induced comfort food preference and strengthen the stress-diet relation.
 
Overall, stressed children had an unhealthier diet and this knowledge should be used in the prevention of stress-induced overweight. For example, the environment needs to be a ‘healthy food zone’ that minimises opportunities for stress-induced eating.
 
“Parents and children should also be made aware that stress can influence emotional eating behaviour, so they can pay attention to potential triggers and anticipate this behaviour,” says study author Nathalie Michels. “Furthermore, children should be equipped with stress-coping skills such as problem-solving thinking or asking for help, instead of seeking solace in food.”
 
The I.Family project – which is currently building on the work of the IDEFICS and CHiBS studies – continues to assess the dietary behaviour and intake of children and teens, whilst examining their wellbeing within their families, schools and peer groups. I.Family is tracking topics such as atmosphere at home, bullying, troubling events, self-esteem, sleep duration and quality, as well as the impact of stress and negative emotions on eating patterns.