Stress Eating Junk Foods Can Increase Anxiety: Study

Junk foods can result in the elevation of anxiety levels, according to the latest research by researchers at the University of Colorado. It is often believed that eating junk foods during stress can help provide comfort but a recent study concluded that it can be harmful for the body and can raise anxiety levels. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder found that in animals, a high-fat diet disrupts gut bacteria, alters behaviour and changes brain chemicals which results in the elevation of anxiety. Junk foods like samosas, burgers, chips, french fries, and fritters are high in fat.

Christopher Lowry, professor of integrative physiology at University of Colorado Boulder and lead author, published the study’s findings in the journal Biological Research. His findings suggest that exposure to an ultra-high fat diet in animals at a young age could boost anxiety in the short term and also habituate the brain for more of it in the future. “It’s extraordinary to think that a high-fat diet alone could alter the expression of these genes in the brain,” wrote Christopher Lowry in the journal Biological Research. The researchers studied the animals’ microbiota or gut bacteria. This study showed that compared to a control group on the diet, individuals in the high-fat diet group not only gained weight but also disrupted gut bacteria. Lowry also suggests that an unhealthy microbiome can compromise the gut lining allowing bacteria into blood circulation.

They found that eating a high-fat diet during times of stress can affect blood flow and reduce oxygen to the brain. If the brain doesn’t get enough oxygen, it can increase stress. It also creates problems for the brain. The heart rate increases when stressed which results in the elevation of blood pressure and blood flow to the brain. Eating fatty food during this time will affect the blood flow. Consuming polyphenols-rich food such as cocoa, berries, grapes, and apples does not cause this problem.

Medical researchers advise that people who already have heart disease should pay more attention to the food they take during times of stress.