Women are more likely than men to develop unhealthy
habits such as smoking, snacking on high-sugar, high-fat
snacks, and drinking caffeine when they work long
hours, a British study finds.
However, working long hours does have one beneficial
effect for both women and men: They drink less alcohol.
The findings are from a University of Leeds study
focused on the effects of stress on eating. The study
was funded by the Economic & Social Research Council
in the United Kingdom.
"Stress disrupts people's normal eating habits,"
researcher Dr. Daryl O'Connor said in a prepared statement.
"Stress causes people to opt for unhealthy high-fat
and high-sugar snacks in preference to healthier food
choices. Also, people under stress eat less than usual
in their main meals, including their vegetable intake,
but shift their preference to high-fat/high-sugar
snacks instead."
He and his colleagues studied the effects of stress
on the eating habits of 422 people. The stress was
caused by minor work and non-work events, such as
having an argument with a colleague or friend, losing
keys, missing a deadline, or having to give a presentation.
People who experienced one or more of minor stressful
events reported eating many more between-meal snacks
than usual but fewer portions of vegetables and a
smaller main meal. The study also found that mental
stress was more likely to cause people to snack than
physical stress.
"Those more at risk of snacking under stress
are best described as 'emotional eaters'," O'Connor
said. "These individuals have higher levels of
vulnerability and tend to turn to food as an escape
from self-awareness. In other words, when they feel
anxious or emotionally aroused or negative about themselves,
they try to avoid these negative feelings by turning
their attention to food."
"Our findings are disturbing in that they show
stress produces harmful changes in diet and leads
to unhealthy eating behaviors," O'Connor said.
