Stress and Eating Behavior Among University Students - an Randomized Controlled Trial (StrEat)

The high worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as metabolic and disease consequences, are well-documented. The positive energy balance underlying obesity is attributable to excess energy intake and/or insufficient energy expenditure. However, it seems that the increase in mean body weight can be sufficiently explained by increases in mean energy intake. It has been proposed that this overeating is partly caused by increased availability of highly processed energy dense, high reward foods. Psychosocial stress and sleep insufficiency is pervasive in industrialized societies. A growing body of evidence suggests stress to be involved in obesity, although it is unknown whether stress is a cause or consequence. Stress affecting dietary intake; skewing intake towards greater consumption of highly palatable energy dense foods, also referred to as high reward foods. A causal relationship between stress and reward seeking behavior is supported by findings from animal studies reporting rewarding behavior by consumption of sweet tasting food in response to a stressor.

Our aim is to investigate differences in purchases of particular food-items in free living individuals, during a stressful (upcoming exam) and non-stressful (no upcoming exam) period.

Hypothesis: Participants will purchase more high reward foods during the pre-exam period, compared to the control non-exam period.