TO EAT OR NOT TO EAT - AFFECTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL-MECHANISMS IN THE STRESS-EATING RELATIONSHIP

The current study aggregated methods from the cardiovascular reactivit y and dietary restraint paradigms in an attempt to advance our underst anding of stress-induced eating behavior. Seventy-seven female subject s completed a protocol consisting of distinct baseline, stress-inducti on, and recovery phases during which we monitored blood pressure, hear t rate, and self-reported affect. Food was inconspicuously made availa ble to participants during the recovery phase. Our results replicated the restraint x affect level interaction observed in the restraint lit erature, while showing that physiological measures could further expla in distressed eating behavior Physiological arousal was found reliably to predict reduced food consumption, but only among unrestrained eate rs. Analyses of the recovery data showed that food consumption was ass ociated with impaired physiological recovery rates for restrained but not for unrestrained participants. We believe that our results help to reconcile findings in the stress, eating, and dietary restraint field s and offer support for recently developed theories of stress-induced overeating.