CHANGES IN DIETARY HABITS DUE TO STRESS

Abstract

Stress has a significant role in both the first stages of addiction and its relapse, and it may also raise the risk of obesity and other metabolic illnesses. Uncontrollable stress alters eating habits and increases the salience and intake of foods that are very appealing; over time, this may affect allostatic load and result in neurobiological modifications that encourage behaviour that is more and more compulsive. Changes in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and other hormones and neuropeptides associated with hunger may all play a role in this connection. Chronic stress may have an impact on the mesolimbic dopaminergic system and other brain areas associated with stress and motivation circuits on a neurocircuitry level. Together, these may synergistically increase food choice, desire for, and seeking after highly appetising meals, as well as physiological changes that support weight gain and body fat accumulation. Individual variations in stressor types and obesity susceptibility may further modify this process. When creating effective preventive and treatment plans for obesity and associated metabolic illnesses, it is crucial to comprehend the relationships and interconnections between stress, neurobiological adaptations, and obesity.