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. 2010 Feb;54(1):217-20.
doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2009.11.005. Epub 2009 Nov 17.

HPA axis response to stress predicts short-term snack intake in obese women

Bradley M Appelhans  1 , Sherry L Pagoto, Erica N Peters, Bonnie J Spring
Affiliations

HPA axis response to stress predicts short-term snack intake in obese women

Bradley M Appelhans et al. Appetite. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Prior research has linked heightened cortisol reactivity to stress with increased food consumption. This pilot study tested corollaries of the hypothesis that cortisol stress reactivity promotes obesity. Thirty-four lean and obese women completed an acute stress task and a non-stressful control task in counterbalanced order. Contrary to expectations, higher post-stress cortisol was associated with decreased post-stress snack intake in obese women but was unrelated to snack intake in lean women. Stress also blunted an expected rise in hunger only among obese women. Findings suggest that some obese women may be more sensitive to short-term anorectic effects of HPA axis activation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in hunger ratings on the stress day by BMI group. Bars represent SEM.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Associations of cortisol reactivity and snack intake on the stress day in lean (■) and obese (○) women. Positive Δ cortisol values indicate an increase in post-task cortisol from the control day to the stress day.
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