The associations of perceived stress with food preferences and activity preferences: a cross-sectional study among Chinese adults

Comfort Foods in the Twenty-First Century: Friend or Foe?

The comfort food (CF) concept emerged during the latter half of the twentieth century. Although not well defined, CF can be described as familiar foods that elicit feelings of well-being and play a role in social interactions and psychological health. These foods are often calorically dense and nutrient-poor, and overconsumption of some CF may contribute to negative metabolic health outcomes. This is particularly relevant when considering the global increase in obesity, leading to the development of therapeutics for improved weight control and metabolic health. In this review, we aim to (a) provide a historical perspective of the CF concept, (b) detail some genetic, developmental, and cultural factors that determine food preference, (c) discuss the influence of diet on the gut-brain connection, hormones, nutrient absorption, and microbiome diversity, and (d) provide a perspective detailing possible future directions in which food technology may enable a new generation of CF with enhanced palatability and nutrient profiles while contributing to well-being and environmental sustainability.

Investigation of the relationship between food preferences and depression symptoms among undergraduate medical students: a cross-sectional study

Introduction

Depression is a psychological condition characterized by a persistent low mood. This study investigates the relationship between depressive symptoms and food preferences in undergraduate students.

Methods

A cross-sectional design was employed among 502 students at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data collection included validated questionnaires on food preferences, depression levels (Beck Depression Inventory), and physical activity (IPAQ), along with anthropometric measurements. Food preferences were analyzed for six groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat/fish, and snacks. Depression severity was categorized into six levels based on BDI scores: normal (1-9), mild (10-16), borderline (17-20), moderate (21-30), severe (31-40), and very severe (41-63). Depression risk was defined as the odds of belonging to a higher Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) category.

Results

Participants with severe depression had lower preferences for grains, fruits, and vegetables but higher preferences for snacks. Adjusted analyses revealed that higher preferences for fruits (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.68-0.98) and vegetables (OR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.94) were significantly associated with reduced depression risk, while snack preferences increased risk (OR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.03-1.68). However, the association between grain preferences and depression risk was not statistically significant after adjustment (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.74-1.03).

Conclusion

These findings highlight the bidirectional link between diet and mental health, underscoring the importance of dietary interventions in mental health strategies.

Factors associated with workplace stress and health promotion behaviours among Chinese emergency nurses: A cross-sectional study

THE AIM

To explore and describe workplace stress levels and health-promoting behaviours reported by emergency nurses in China, and to investigate factors associated with workplace stress and health-promoting lifestyle behaviours among emergency nurses.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2019 and January 2020. Nurses (n = 1565) were recruited from the emergency departments of 54 hospitals within the Sichuan Province of West China. Each subject completed the Chinese versions of the Nurse Workplace Stress Scale, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP-II) and demographic questions. Linear regression analyses were used to identify associations between workplace stress and the health-promoting lifestyle and risk factors correlated with these two measurements.

RESULTS

Workplace stress was negatively associated with health-promoting behaviours. Linear regression analysis showed that gender, marital status, whether wages met expected standards and professional rank were found to be associated with health promotion behaviours; marital status, whether income met expected standards, the number of night shifts per month and health promotion behaviours were found to be associated with workplace stress.

CONCLUSION

Higher levels of workplace stress are associated with lower levels of engagement in health-promoting behaviours, suggesting the potential for reducing workplace stress through the adoption of healthier habits. Policies should prioritize workplace stress by promoting healthy lifestyle initiatives.

Exploring the potential causal effects of food preferences on irritable bowel syndrome risk: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

OBJECTIVES

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder in gut-brain interaction. Diet plays an important role in the pathophysiology of IBS. Therefore, we aimed to explore the potential causal effects of food-liking on IBS to provide better diet advice for patients.

METHODS

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with food-liking were selected as instrumental variables, which were obtained from the latest genome-wide association study (GWAS) conducted on 161 625 participants. The summary data of genetic associations with IBS were obtained from a recent GWAS with 433 201 European controls and 53 400 cases. We used inverse variance weighting as the main analysis. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to detect horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Significant evidence revealed the protective effects of a vegetarian diet-liking on IBS, including asparagus, avocadoes, globe artichoke, aubergine, and black olives, while onion-liking showed potential deleterious effects. For meat and fish, preference for sardines and fried fish was marginally associated with IBS risk, but salami and salmon were potential protective factors. In terms of desserts and dairy products, preferences for cake icing, ketchup, and cheesecake were suggestively associated with higher IBS risk, while goat cheese-liking was marginally correlated with lower IBS risk. Additionally and suggestively, significant causal effects of IBS on increased preferences for globe artichoke and salami were also found in a reverse Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed potential causal associations between food preference and IBS from a genetic perspective, which provides a dietary reference for such patients.

Short working hours and perceived stress: Findings from a population-based nationwide study

Background

Evidence on the potential negative health effects of short working hours remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between short working hours and perceived stress in a population-based sample from China.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 4368 participants aged 18-65 years from the China Health and Nutrition Surveys (CHNS) 2015. Working hours were categorized into <35, 35-40, 41-54, and ≥55 h/week. Perceived stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale-14 (PSS-14).

Results

Of the 4368 participants, 817 (18.7 %) reported short working hours (<35 h/week) and 1817 (41.6 %) reported perceived stress. Short working hours were associated with higher perceived stress compared to standard working hours (35-40 h/week) (Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 1.25, 95 % confidential intervals (CI): 1.04-1.51). Stratified analysis showed that short working hours were significantly associated with more perceived stress in subjects aged 36-50 years (AOR = 1.43, 95 % CI: 1.16-1.70), while long working hours (≥55 h/week) were significantly related to less perceived stress among low-income subjects (AOR = 0.56, 95 % CI: 0.33-0.94). Reduced income partially mediated the effects of short working hours on perceived stress (indirect effects = -0.002, 95 % CI: -0.007∼-0.001).

Conclusion

Reduced working hours may be associated with increased risk of perceived stress in China, particularly among people aged 36-50 years and those with low income. Reduced income may be a possible reason for the increased perceived stress caused by short working hours. Future longitudinal studies are needed to examine these relationships and to explore mechanisms.

Chronic stress is associated with reward and emotion-related eating behaviors in college students

Introduction

Stress is related to altered olfactory perception and eating behaviors. The current study investigated the association between chronic stress, food reward and perception of food and non-food odors among college students.

Methods

Sixty-one participants completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Brief Daily Stressors Screening Tool (BDSST). The detective threshold and suprathreshold perception (pleasantness, intensity, and familiarity) of two food (chocolate, strawberry) odors and a non-food (rose) odor were measured. Food reward and macronutrient preference were measured using the computerized Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire and the Macronutrient and Taste Preference Ranking task, respectively. Reward-related eating, emotional eating and eating-related inhibitory control were measured by the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Reward-Based Eating Drive Scale (RED) scales.

Results

Neither the perceived stress or the severity of daily life stressor exposure was related to odor sensitivity, however, the PSS score was significantly correlated with pleasantness for strawberry odor (r = 0.329, p = 0.013). Chronic stress (PSS and BDSST scores) was significantly correlated with the DEBQ emotional eating and reward-related eating measured by RED (all ps < 0.01). Moreover, the BDSST score was negatively correlated with subjective liking for low-calorie sweet foods (r = -0.46, p < 0.001).

Discussion

Together, our preliminary results suggest disassociated effect of chronic stress on odor perception and eating behaviors.