Eating After Acute Psychosocial Stress in Healthy Men and Women: Sex Differences and Endocrine Mechanisms

Abstract

Context: Overweight and obesity have become a major health burden with a higher prevalence of obesity in women than in men. Mental stress has been discussed to play a role in this context. Objective: We investigated endocrine mechanisms underlying eating after acute psychosocial stress and potential sex differences therein. Methods: A total of 32 male and 31 female healthy participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test before they tasted ice cream in a bogus taste test 15 minutes after stress. We repeatedly assessed the stress hormone cortisol and the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK) in saliva as well as perceived hunger before and up to 1 hour after stress. Results: Lower immediate total cortisol stress reactivity predicted higher hunger (Ps ≤. 004), but was not associated with food intake (Ps ≥. 90) or total CCK release (Ps ≥. 84). As compared to men, women ate less after stress (Ps