Sl. Mitchell et Lh. Epstein, CHANGES IN TASTE AND SATIETY IN DIETARY-RESTRAINED WOMEN FOLLOWING STRESS, Physiology & behavior, 60(2), 1996, pp. 495-499
Stress has been shown to increase food consumption in women with high
levels of dietary restraint (restrainers) but decrease consumption in
nonrestrainers. The present study was designed to replicate the differ
ential eating pattern following stress and measure physiological and s
ubjective responses to food over repeated taste presentations. Restrai
ned (N = 16) and nonrestrained (N = 16) women were given eight taste p
resentations of a food followed by an ad lib taste test. Between taste
trials, half of the restrainers and nonrestrainers performed a variat
ion of the Stroop stressor while remaining subjects sat quietly. Saliv
ation to the food cue was measured at each trial as well as ratings of
food liking, hunger, fullness, and arousal. Results showed significan
t effects of restraint on food liking and stress condition on hunger.
Restrainers increased liking ratings over taste trials whereas ratings
for nonrestrainers increased and then decreased to baseline levels by
the last trial (p = 0.05). Nonstressed subjects showed an increase in
hunger ratings, whereas ratings for stressed subjects did not show an
y stable directional pattern (p = 0.04). Salivary responses decreased
for all groups (p = 0.01). A significant interaction of restraint by s
tress for intake was found (p = 0.03); restrainers increased consumpti
on following stress whereas nonrestrainers decreased consumption as co
mpared with controls. The data suggest that the Stroop task can influe
nce intake in restrainers, but the changes in intake did not directly
correspond to the changes observed during the presentations of the tas
te cues and stressor.