A recent study published in the journal Nutrients offers an innovative perspective on the fight against stress-induced overeating, revealing the fundamental role of social support.
The study shows that individuals who receive emotional support from friends tend to have lower stress levels, opt for smaller food portions and eat less during periods of acute stress.
Called "comfort eating", stress-induced overeating is a common coping mechanism in which individuals consume excessive amounts of high-calorie, fatty or sugary foods to relieve emotional distress. Although it may provide temporary relief, this behavior is fraught with long-term health risks, including obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
With the aim of discovering effective strategies to curb this unhealthy eating pattern, the researchers focused on the preventive potential of social support. Through two comprehensive experiments involving more than 270 young adults, the study explored how support from friends and strangers affects the tendency to overeat in response to stress.
In the first experiment, participants were subjected to a stress-inducing task followed by a support manipulation, in which some received comfort from their best friend, others from a stranger and the rest were left to their own devices or received no specific instructions.
The results showed that those who were comforted by friends had significantly lower stress levels and chose smaller portions of food, suggesting a marked effect of friendly support on stress resistance and eating behavior, points out Psy Post.
To extend the research, the second experiment assessed not only preferences in terms of food portions, but also actual food consumption after stress induction. Once again, the individuals supported by friends consumed fewer calories from both high-calorie and low-calorie foods, evidencing a general reduction in the need to eat as a response to stress, rather than a mere change in food preferences.
However, the fact that the study focused on a group of predominantly young, university-aged and female participants indicates the need for further research across a broader demographic spectrum to universally validate these findings.
