![Students hanging out on the grass in front of Angell Hall](/sites/default/files/styles/page_hero_large/public/2020-08/hero_1_0.jpg?itok=sPIcuOIM)
Study shows overweight kids eat less after stressful events
![Candy in pile on white background](/sites/default/files/styles/featured_image/public/candy.jpg?itok=4z1mRkrM)
Overweight kids actually eat less right after stressful events
People often react to stress by binging on sweets or fattening comfort foods, cravings fueled by the appetite-stimulating stress hormone cortisol. But overweight adolescents—considered particularly susceptible to stress eating—actually ate less when exposed to a lab stressor, and the foods they eschewed were the high fat and sugar options, according to a University of Michigan study. Even more surprising, kids who produced the most cortisol after the stressor saw the biggest appetite reduction, eating about 35% fewer calories in the two hours after the stressor, said principal investigator Rebecca Hasson, associate professor of movement science at the U-M School of Kinesiology. Follow the link to read more
Read more: Overewight kids actually eat less right after stressful events