Stress-Busting Effects of Hedonic Foods

We know that gorging on foods high in fats and carbohydrates provides “comfort,” but we have not fully understood why. To examine this question, researchers assessed mRNA expression, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, sympathetic system activity, and stress-related behaviors in male rats given water, oral or intragastric sucrose, or oral saccharin supplements and in those allowed sexual activity. Some rats underwent lesioning of the basal lateral amygdala (BLA).

After stress-increasing paradigms, oral sucrose or saccharin lowered adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and improved the sympathetic component of heart rate variability. Oral sucrose also lowered corticosterone levels, was associated with greater interaction with an …